An US judge has determined that the effective shuttering of the VOA last year was against the law and has directed the return of many of its reporters.
Judicial Order Issues 7-Day Timeline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to restore the broadcaster's operations.
Wartime Origins and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was first established during World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi propaganda.
Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his officials claimed had left-wing 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 Shake-Up and Widespread Dismissals
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that oversees and funds the VOA and related networks.
Lake proceeded to terminate the vast majority of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—leaving just a handful of employees remaining.
Most of the affected staff have been on leave with pay 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 Decision
Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the authority to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been approved by the US Senate.
In Tuesday's decision, the federal judge described the decision to sack the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had failed to consider laws 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.
Journalists’ Lawsuit and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had sued 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 journalism, not propaganda,” 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 challenge the ruling.
Before being wound down, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.
Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
