A federal judge Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from halting funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
US District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that President Donald Trump's executive order, signed last May, was unlawful.
Trump signs order to halt funding to NPR, PBS in 2025
Trump signed an executive order last May instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease funding to NPR and PBS, either directly or indirectly.
Trump and his supporters argue that their news reporting promotes liberal bias and shouldn't be supported by taxpayers.
The president also signed a package in July that canceled about $1.1 billion in funds earmarked for public broadcasting.
It's therefore still unclear how Moss' ruling will affect the media outlets' operations as the ruling is likely to be appealed and the damage to the public-broadcasting system runs deep.
Trump's public media cuts hit rural outlets hard
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Trump order violates First Amendment, judge rules
Moss said the 2025 executive order ran counter to the First Amendment, which he said "does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type."
"It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch," wrote Moss, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Moss' decision is "a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law."
Appeals court pauses order for Voice of America employees to return to work
In a separate ruling on Tuesday, an appeals court panel suspended a federal judge's order for the Trump administration to bring hundreds of Voice of America employees back to work from paid leave.
US District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth had previously ruled that the administration's actions to place more VOA employees on leave was unlawful.
But the appeals court's decision delays the implementation of that ruling.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
