HomeTechnologyTrump defunding of NPR and PBS blocked by judge, but damage is already done

Trump defunding of NPR and PBS blocked by judge, but damage is already done

TechnologyApril 1, 2026
1 min read
Trump defunding of NPR and PBS blocked by judge, but damage is already done
Judge invalidates Trump executive order, but Congress also cut off all funding.

A federal judge ruled that President Trump's executive order defunding NPR and PBS violated the First Amendment and issued a permanent injunction stating that executive branch agencies cannot enforce it.

The Trump order's "instruction that all federal agencies stop funding NPR and PBS constitutes a penalty for engaging in speech disfavored by the President and cannot be lawfully implemented by any executive department or agency," Judge Randolph Moss, an Obama appointee in US District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled yesterday.

The ruling against Trump in the case filed by NPR, PBS, and several stations may not have much practical impact. Trump's May 2025 executive order was followed by Congress rescinding the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) budget of $1.1 billion for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Read full article

Comments

Source: Ars Technica

Share this article

Related Articles

I saved a doomed Windows laptop by embracing Linux
2026Apr 03

I saved a doomed Windows laptop by embracing Linux

Two weeks ago I set aside my M4 MacBook Air and picked up a nine-year-old ThinkPad. It's one of an estimated 200 to 400 million Windows 10 PCs that don't meet Microsoft's requirements for Windows 11.

Article1 min read
Read More
NASA did eventually solve Artemis II’s Outlook glitch
2026Apr 03

NASA did eventually solve Artemis II’s Outlook glitch

On Thursday, during Artemis II's journey to the Moon, commander Reid Wiseman ran into a tech issue some of us back on Earth can relate to: Microsoft Outlook wasn't working. In a conversation captured

Article1 min read
Read More