The Philippine Supreme Court has finalized the closure of a decade-long legal effort to shut down the news outlet Rappler, marking a definitive victory for the site founded by Nobel laureate Maria Ressa.

In a resolution dated Jan. 20, 2026, the court’s Third Division declared the case “closed and terminated,” effectively ending the threat to the company’s operating license.

The high court ordered an immediate entry of judgment, which ensures the decision is final and can no longer be modified by any court.

The termination follows a move by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to withdraw its request for additional time to challenge an earlier Court of Appeals (CA) ruling.

By dropping the appeal, the government allowed the CA’s 2024 decision—which voided the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) shutdown order—to stand as the final legal word on the matter.

The legal battle began in 2017 when the SEC accused Rappler of violating constitutional bans on foreign media ownership through the issuance of Philippine Depository Receipts to an American philanthropic fund.

However, the Court of Appeals later ruled that Rappler is wholly owned and managed by Filipinos, criticizing the SEC for a "flagrant violation of due process" and "clear bias" against the outlet.

International human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who led Ressa’s legal defense, welcomed the ruling as a victory for the press in a free society.

While some separate legal challenges remain, the Supreme Court's resolution permanently shields Rappler from the 2018 dissolution order that once threatened its existence.