A federal court has ruled that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was against the law and has ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of its reporters.
Court Order Sets 7-Day Deadline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to restore the broadcaster's operations.
Historical Roots and Recent Closure
The VOA was first created in World War Two to combat Nazi disinformation.
Only a short time after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his officials claimed had political bias. The order also included networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be phased out as much as legally possible.
Management Changes and Widespread Firings
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that manages and finances the VOA and related networks.
Lake proceeded to terminate the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—leaving just a small number of employees remaining.
Most of the dismissed 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.
Judge’s Rationale and Ruling
Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake lacked the authority to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed 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 failed to consider legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“The government have provided nothing approaching a reasonable basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.
Reporters’ Lawsuit and Response
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 journalism, not propaganda,” she told reporters.
Unclear Future and Broader Context
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 nearly 50 languages.
Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his broader attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
