A US court has declared that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has commanded the return of hundreds of its staff.
Judicial Mandate Issues 7-Day Timeline
Federal Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities seven days to put the international broadcaster back on air.
Wartime Roots and Recent Closure
The VOA was first established in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi disinformation.
Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to shut down the broadcaster, which his officials accused of political bias. The order also targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.
Management Changes and Widespread Dismissals
President Trump named 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 over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA alone—with only a small number of employees in their jobs.
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 Ruling
Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the legal power to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.
In this week's decision, the federal judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had ignored laws that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.
“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.
Reporters’ Legal Challenge 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 continue to support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.
Uncertain Future and Wider Implications
It is uncertain if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will appeal.
Before being wound down, the VOA transmitted 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 studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.
