A U.S. federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from cutting federal funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) citing the protection of the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss’s decision, though its immediate impact remains uncertain due to potential appeals, deems the presidential directive to defund NPR and PBS as unlawful and unenforceable. Judge Moss emphasized that the executive order by President Donald Trump violates free speech rights by targeting specific viewpoints and attempting to suppress them.
The ruling comes after Trump expressed his desire to defund NPR and PBS last year, claiming bias in favor of Democrats. NPR accused the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) of infringing on its free speech rights by cutting off grant money. NPR’s president, Katherine Maher, stressed that public media serves the public interest, not political agendas.
PBS chief Paula Kerger welcomed the decision, calling the executive order unconstitutional and aimed at viewpoint discrimination and retaliation. The legal victory was hailed by plaintiffs’ attorney Theodore Boutrous as a win for the First Amendment and press freedom. The judge also noted that despite the CPB’s closure, the executive order’s impact extends beyond it, affecting federal agencies’ funding decisions for NPR and PBS programs.
Last August, CPB announced plans to shut down after Congress defunded it. Trump’s executive order led to cuts in Education Department funding for PBS children’s programming, resulting in staff layoffs. The order did not alter Congress’s decision to eliminate federal appropriations for NPR and PBS, leading to the CPB’s closure, which distributed funds to the networks.
In response to the ruling, NPR and three public radio stations filed a lawsuit against administration officials last May. While Trump was named as a defendant, Congress was not included in the case, despite its significant role in the public broadcasting funding saga over the past year.