American Jurist Orders Former President Trump's Government to Reopen VOA.
A US judge has declared that the practical shutdown of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has directed the return of hundreds of its journalists.
Court Mandate Sets 7-Day Deadline
District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to restore the broadcaster's operations.
Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown
The VOA was originally created in World War Two to combat Nazi disinformation.
Only a short time after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an presidential directive to shut down the broadcaster, which his administration accused of left-wing bias. The order also targeted outlets 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 Mass Dismissals
President Trump appointed Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that manages and finances the VOA and other networks.
Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—with only a small number 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 Reasoning and Decision
Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the legal power to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.
In this week's ruling, the judge described the decision to fire 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.
Journalists’ Legal Challenge and Reaction
Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being deeply grateful 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 the Associated Press.
Uncertain Next Steps and Wider Context
It is not clear if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires 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 form part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.
