A federal court has ruled that the effective shutdown of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has ordered the return of hundreds of its reporters.
Judicial Order Issues One-Week Timeline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to get the VOA broadcasting again.
Wartime Roots and Trump-Era Shutdown
The VOA was first set up during World War Two to counter Nazi propaganda.
Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an presidential directive to close the broadcaster, which his administration claimed had left-wing bias. The order also included outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.
Leadership Shake-Up and Widespread Firings
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that oversees and funds the VOA and related networks.
Lake then sack more than 85% of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a handful of employees remaining.
Most of the affected staff have been on leave with pay since last year. This included Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June.
Court’s Reasoning and Decision
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake did not have the authority to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.
In Tuesday's ruling, the federal judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had failed to consider laws that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“Defendants have provided no a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.
Journalists’ Legal Challenge and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being deeply grateful for the judge's decision.
“We hope the American people will continue to support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.
Unclear Future and Broader Context
It is not clear if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.
Before being wound down, the VOA transmitted TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.
Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
