Judge rules Trump cutting off funding for NPR and PBS is unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss blocked the Trump administration from enforcing provisions of his executive order that directed federal agencies to cut off funding to NPR and PBS.
Updated on: April 1, 2026 / 2:52 PM EDT / CBS News
Washington — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that parts of President Trump's executive order stripping National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service of federal funding violated the First Amendment by seeking to punish the two news outlets for speech he dislikes.
"The message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their 'left wing' coverage of the news," Moss wrote in a 62-page decision.
Moss wrote that the directive is unconstitutional because the First Amendment "does not tolerate" that kind of viewpoint discrimination and retaliation.
Ted Boutrous, who represents NPR, cheered the decision from the district court as a victory for the First Amendment and freedom of the press.