A federal judge in Washington struck down part of President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting funding for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on Tuesday, ruling that it was unconstitutional retaliation that violated their press freedom rights under the First Amendment. “The message is clear,” U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss, a Barack Obama appointee to the federal bench, wrote in an opinion. Moss wrote that NPR and PBS proved their cases definitively. “The district court’s decision bars the government from enforcing its unconstitutional Executive Order targeting NPR and PBS because the President dislikes their news reporting and other programming,” he said. The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”Moss’s ruling is a win for NPR and PBS in court, but it won’t restore the money they have already lost.

Source: Washington Post March 31, 2026 20:09 UTC