A federal court has determined that the effective closure of the VOA last year was against the law and has directed the reinstatement of many of its staff.
Court Order Sets 7-Day Deadline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government one week to get the VOA broadcasting again.
Historical Roots and Trump-Era Shutdown
The VOA was originally established in World War Two to counter Nazi disinformation.
Only a short time after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed 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 Mass Firings
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that manages and finances the VOA and other networks.
Lake then fire the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a small number of employees in their jobs.
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 Ruling
Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the authority to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been approved by the US Senate.
In this week's ruling, the federal judge described 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.
“The government have provided no a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.
Reporters’ Lawsuit and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being 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.
Unclear Next Steps and Wider Context
It is not clear if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will appeal.
Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.
Trump's criticisms of the VOA are part of his broader criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.
