Virginia Kruta

U.S.

District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington permanently blocked President Donald Trump's executive order, ruling that the move was unlawful and unenforceable under the First Amendment.

In his opinion, Moss said that the government cannot engage in, quote, viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of that kind, pointing to Trump's own public statements that he wanted to defund the outlets because he viewed them as biased toward Democrats.

NPR.

has argued that the administration was trying to punish it for the content of its journalism by cutting off access to grant money appropriated by congress the ruling keeps the order from taking effect and hands the administration a significant legal defeat in its efforts to strip federal support from public broadcasting