Donald Trump Violated First Amendment, Cannot Defund PBS & NPR, District Court Judge Rules

A Washington D.C. judge has ruled that President Donald Trump violated the First Amendment by defunding PBS and NPR.

In May 2025, the President issued an executive order to defund the public broadcasters, claiming they “fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars.”

According to the ruling obtained by Entertainment Weekly, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss of District Court of D.C. has said Trump cannot defund them, writing that the “First Amendment draws a line,” at “efforts to use government power — including the power of the purse — ‘to punish or suppress disfavored expression’ by others.”

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Moss wrote that not even the government is exempt from adhering to that line. He also said that Trump‘s order “singles out two speakers and, on the basis of their speech, bars them from all federally funded programs.”

“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,” the court’s statement continued.

In response to the judge’s ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told EW the decision is a “ridiculous” one by “an activist judge attempting to undermine the law… NPR and PBS have no right to receive taxpayer funds, and Congress already voted to defund them. The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

NPR and three Colorado radio stations sued Trump last year after he passed the order.