A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to cancel remaining taxpayer-funded TV ads, saying the commercials crossed legal lines, according to court filings and news reports about the trump administration tv ads ruling.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon issued a temporary restraining order on Oct. 11 that stops the Department of Homeland Security from continuing the ads, after plaintiffs including Common Cause and the DNC sued to block what they called political propaganda, Politico and Reuters reported.
Politico reported Rochon’s order requires the administration to cancel the remainder of a $20 million ad buy placed by Customs and Border Protection and to tell the contractor, LMD Media, to stop placements immediately.
Reuters said the judge barred the government from using, disbursing or transferring DHS funds to develop, place or air the challenged advertisements and that the ads had begun airing in late September, sparking bipartisan backlash.
The plaintiffs argued the ads resembled campaign spots and were not legitimate public service announcements, prompting legal challenges in both New York and Washington courts, Politico reported. The suit seeks to prevent further taxpayer-funded airings ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The White House told the court it planned to stop the taxpayer-funded campaign and said President Trump’s political committee would fund future ads, but plaintiffs argued promises to halt were insufficient without a court order, Reuters reported.
This trump administration tv ads ruling follows a wider legal confrontation over the federal government’s use of advertising funds and low-cost ad rates, a dispute that has reached federal courts and the Supreme Court in recent days, according to Reuters.
Readers seeking background on other recent Trump administration spending and legal fights can read about how the administration moved to claw back congressional spending and the separate policy legal developments.
For more on related Trump administration budget and legal actions, see nearly $1 billion in congressional spending and administration use of the SAVE database.
Sources
- Reuters — reported Judge Jennifer Rochon’s temporary order, described the ads as airing in late September, and noted plaintiffs and bipartisan backlash.
- POLITICO — provided details from the restraining order, including that the order halted a $20 million CBP ad buy and named contractor LMD Media.
