National Public Radio (NPR) and three of its affiliate stations filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against President Donald Trump, challenging the legality of an executive order that aims to eliminate federal funding for the organization.
The lawsuit, lodged in federal court in Washington by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KUTE, Inc., contends that President Trump’s executive order directing the cessation of public subsidies to both the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and NPR infringes upon the First Amendment.
President Trump issued the executive order earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to discontinue federal funding for NPR and PBS and to identify and eliminate indirect sources of public financing for these news organizations. The order followed President Trump’s accusations of “bias” in the reporting of the broadcasters.
The lawsuit asserts, “The Order’s objectives could not be clearer: the Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country.” It further alleges, “The Order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, and it interferes with NPR’s and the Local Member Stations’ freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion.”
The legal challenge appeared anticipated, as the heads of both NPR and PBS previously issued statements expressing their belief that President Trump’s directive was unlawful. The absence of PBS from Tuesday’s filing suggests that the two organizations will pursue their challenges separately. While PBS has not yet initiated legal action, it is expected to do so in the near future.
President Trump’s administration has also faced previous legal battles concerning attempts to restructure government-funded news outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Additionally, the administration has engaged in broader conflicts with the press, including an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into ABC, CBS, and NBC News. The Associated Press also filed a lawsuit after the administration restricted its access to certain events in response to the organization’s decision regarding the naming of the Gulf of Mexico.
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