A federal judge has permanently blocked the Trump administration from implementing an executive order that sought to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). US District Judge Randolph Moss ruled on Tuesday that the order violated the First Amendment, calling it unlawful and unenforceable.
Judge Moss, appointed by former President Barack Obama, wrote that the First Amendment 'does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type'. He noted that the executive order directed all federal agencies to cut off funding to NPR and PBS, which he described as 'targeted at viewpoints that the president does not like and seeks to squelch'.
The White House criticised the ruling, with spokesperson Abigail Jackson calling it 'a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge'. She argued that NPR and PBS have no right to taxpayer funds and that Congress had already voted to defund them. The administration plans to appeal the decision.
NPR and PBS had sued the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) after it moved to cut off grant money appropriated by Congress. NPR President Katherine Maher hailed the decision as 'a decisive affirmation of the rights of a free and independent press', while PBS Chief Paula Kerger described the executive order as 'textbook unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination'.
The judge acknowledged that some claims were moot because the CPB no longer exists, but stressed that the executive order extended beyond the CPB, affecting all federal agencies. The ruling is seen as a victory for free speech, with plaintiffs' attorney Theodore Boutrous stating it 'draws a line' against using government power to punish disfavoured expression.
