A federal judge based in Washington, D.C., has ruled that the Trump administration must restore jobs and funding for Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-backed news organizations, stating that its efforts to shut them down were unlawful and unconstitutional.
More than 1,300 VOA employees — including around 1,000 journalists — were placed on leave following President Donald Trump’s order. The White House had accused the broadcaster of being “anti-Trump” and “radical.”
Judge Royce Lamberth said the Trump administration acted “without regard to the harm inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world.” The judge ordered the government to reinstate all employees and contractors to the positions they held before the executive order.
The ruling also stated that the administration likely violated the International Broadcasting Act and Congress’ power to appropriate funding.
Judge Lamberth said in his ruling that the administration lacked the authority to dismantle VOA, which is funded by Congress and has a legal duty to provide credible news worldwide. “It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the Defendants’ actions here,” he wrote.
In March, Trump ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and funds outlets like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.”
