A federal judge has declared that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has directed the reinstatement of hundreds of its journalists.
Court Order Sets 7-Day Timeline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to put the international broadcaster back on air.
Wartime Origins and Recent Closure
The VOA was first created during World War Two to combat Nazi disinformation.
Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to shut down the broadcaster, which his administration claimed had left-wing bias. The order also targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.
Leadership Changes 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 other networks.
Lake then sack more than 85% of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a small number of employees remaining.
Most of the dismissed 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 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 approved by the US Senate.
In this week's ruling, the judge described the decision to sack the journalists as unreasonable and impulsive, 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 principled 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, said she was profoundly thankful for the judge's decision.
“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she said to reporters.
Unclear Future and Wider Context
It is uncertain if Lake's proposed 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 form part of his broader attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.
