A federal court has ruled that the effective shutdown of the VOA last year was “illegal” and has commanded the return of hundreds of its journalists.
Court Order Sets 7-Day Deadline
Federal Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to put the international broadcaster back on air.
Wartime Origins and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was originally created in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi propaganda.
Just weeks after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his officials claimed had political bias. The order also targeted 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 Changes and Mass Dismissals
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that manages and finances the VOA and related networks.
Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a small number of employees in their jobs.
Most of the dismissed staff have been on paid administrative leave 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 Ruling
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the legal power to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.
In this week's decision, the judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had ignored laws that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“The government have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.
Reporters’ Legal Challenge and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, said she was deeply grateful for the judge's decision.
“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.
Uncertain Next Steps and Broader Implications
It is uncertain if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will appeal.
Before being wound down, the VOA transmitted TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.
Trump's criticisms of the VOA form part of his wider criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
