A federal judge has temporarily blocked an effort by former President Donald Trump to remove three members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board, marking another legal victory for the CPB in its ongoing fight with the Trump administration.
On Monday, President Donald Trump fired CPB board members Tom Rothman, Diane Kaplan, and Laura Gore Ross without citing legal justification. The firing notice, delivered via email from Trump’s personnel office, read, “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.”
On Tuesday morning, the CPB filed a lawsuit against the Trump White House, saying his actions violate federal law and threaten the independence of public media. In its lawsuit, the CPB asked the US District Court in Washington, DC, to immediately block Trump’s order removing board members
The ruling, issued Tuesday afternoon by the US District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss, halts the terminations pending a full hearing scheduled for May 14.
CPB attorneys argue that Trump’s actions have no legal basis, citing the 1967 statute that created the Corporation and explicitly shielded it from political interference. Unlike other federal boards, CPB’s members do not serve at the pleasure of the president. The law also bars federal employees from serving on the board and defines CPB as a private, non-governmental entity.
This latest confrontation is part of a broader push by Trump to reshape media outlets he considers extraneous or unfavorable. Over his first 100 days in office, the administration has sought to assert control over media outlets, including Voice of America, NPR, and other FCC licensees with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
A separate CPB lawsuit blocked an attempt by the White House Office of Management and Budget to pause grant money distribution for FEMA’s Next Generation Warning System grants and the Department of Education’s Ready to Learn grant. Trump has previously signaled plans to rescind the $1.1 billion in funding already approved by Congress to support public broadcasters through 2027. To succeed, however, the rescission would need to pass both chambers of Congress within 45 days.
CPB distributes more than $500 million a year to public broadcasters, including local PBS and NPR stations. While NPR receives only about 1% of its funding directly from CPB, its member stations rely on the Corporation for approximately 10% of their budgets.
