A US judge has ruled that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was “illegal” and has ordered the return of many of its reporters.
Court Order Sets One-Week Deadline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to put the international broadcaster back on air.
Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was originally created in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi disinformation.
Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an presidential directive to defund the broadcaster, which his officials accused of left-wing bias. The order also included outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.
Leadership Changes and Widespread Dismissals
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to lead the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that manages and finances the VOA and related networks.
Lake then terminate the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just a small number of employees remaining.
Most of the affected staff have been on paid administrative leave since last year. This even applied to Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June.
Court’s Rationale and Decision
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the authority to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been approved by the US Senate.
In this week's ruling, the federal judge labeled the decision to sack the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“Defendants have provided no a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.
Reporters’ Legal Challenge and Response
Three VOA journalists had sued 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 told the Associated Press.
Uncertain Next Steps and Wider Implications
It is uncertain if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will appeal.
Before being wound down, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.
Trump's criticisms of the VOA are part of his wider criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
