Trump admin sues to remove board members of NPR, PBS parent group who refuse to leave

The Justice Department filed a legal complaint Tuesday against three former board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) who have refused to leave their positions after being removed by President Donald Trump.

The complaint, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, targets Laura Ross, Diane Kaplan, and Tom Rothman. The DOJ argues that Trump lawfully terminated the three and is now seeking a court order to formally remove them.

“The subjects of this complaint have continued to operate in office despite their removal and subsequent failure to obtain legal relief protecting their old positions,” the department said in a statement. “This litigation reflects the Department’s ongoing commitment to protecting the President’s core Article II powers, which include the authority to make personnel decisions regarding those occupying federal offices.”

The DOJ is also seeking to have the former board members refund any compensation they received after their removal.

The lawsuit escalates a growing dispute between the Trump administration and CPB, which administers more than $500 million annually in federal funds to organizations including the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). In May, Trump signed an executive order to end public subsidies to both PBS and NPR, following criticisms that the outlets display left-wing bias.

Republican lawmakers have echoed this characterization. Senator Ted Cruz recently said on the Senate floor that “Public broadcasting has long been taken over by partisan activists, plain and simple.”

“NPR and PBS have revealed their left-wing bias time and time again,” Cruz added.

CPB board members are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for six-year terms. All five current board members were appointed by former President Joe Biden.

After the White House Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel, Trent Morse, notified Ross, Kaplan, and Rothman in April that they had been removed, CPB filed a lawsuit claiming Trump lacked the authority to terminate them.

District Judge Randolph Moss is presiding over the case. Last month, Moss ruled that the board members could remain in their positions for the time being, although he denied CPB’s request for an injunction to block Trump’s removals, according to a report by Reuters.