A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Trump’s push to close down Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a federally funded news organization that was born out of the American efforts to counter Soviet propaganda during the Cold War.
The judge, Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a temporary restraining order, saying that the Trump administration cannot unilaterally shut down RFE/RL, even if the president has ordered the closure.
Judge Lamberth said the administration cannot overrule Congress, which gave the news outlet a statutory mandate to promote the freedom of opinion and expression, with “one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation.”
Judge Lamberth was referring to a March 15 letter to RFE/RL from the Trump administration that said the broadcaster was no longer needed as the government’s priorities had shifted. The letter did not elaborate, other than citing Mr. Trump’s directives to shut down federal agencies.
The temporary restraining order will allow RFE/RL to stay open at least until March 28. After that, Judge Lamberth would decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction that would allow the news outlet to continue operating until the court reaches a final verdict.
Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were founded in the 1950s as a U.S. intelligence operation covertly funded through the Central Intelligence Agency. The broadcaster sought to foment anti-communist dissent behind the Iron Curtain.