A federal court has determined that the effective shuttering of the Voice of America last year was against the law and has commanded the reinstatement of hundreds of its reporters.
Judicial Mandate Sets 7-Day Timeline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities seven days to get the VOA broadcasting again.
Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was originally created during World War Two to combat Nazi propaganda.
Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to shut down the broadcaster, which his officials accused of left-wing bias. The order also targeted outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be phased out as much as legally possible.
Management Shake-Up and Widespread Firings
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to lead the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that oversees and funds the VOA and related networks.
Lake then sack over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just 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.
Judge’s Rationale and Ruling
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled 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 described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had ignored laws that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“The government have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.
Reporters’ Lawsuit and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, said she was profoundly thankful 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 reporters.
Uncertain Next Steps and Wider Context
It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.
Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.
Trump's attacks of the VOA are part of his broader criticism of the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.
