Judge Orders Voice Of America To Rehire Employees And Resume Operations

A federal judge appointed by President Ronald Reagan has ordered the Trump administration to restore the operations of Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the government’s shutdown of the broadcaster violated federal law and lacked a clear legal basis.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth on Tuesday directed the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA, to produce a plan within one week to return the network to full operation. VOA has been functioning with only a skeleton staff for months after President Donald Trump, in his second term, issued an executive order effectively dismantling much of the organization.

The ruling follows an earlier decision by Lamberth, who last week found that Kari Lake — Trump’s initial choice to lead USAGM — did not have the legal authority to carry out sweeping changes at VOA because she had not been confirmed by the Senate. In Tuesday’s decision, the judge evaluated the actions taken under her leadership to implement the shutdown.

Lamberth sharply criticized those actions, reversing the administration’s move to sideline 1,042 of VOA’s roughly 1,147 employees and reduce the broadcaster to what officials described as the “statutory minimum” required by Congress. The cuts forced VOA to dramatically curtail its programming worldwide.

Calling the administration’s actions “arbitrary and capricious,” Lamberth wrote that officials failed to consider the legal obligations governing VOA’s operations, including requirements to broadcast in specific languages and regions.

“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” he wrote.

The ruling marks a significant legal setback for the Trump administration’s effort to reshape U.S. government-funded international broadcasting. Critics had argued that the shutdown undermined a longstanding tool of U.S. soft power, particularly in regions with limited press freedom.

Lake had previously denounced Lamberth’s March 7 ruling and indicated it would be appealed. Since then, Trump has nominated Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to lead USAGM — a position that requires Senate confirmation, unlike Lake’s role.

Patsy Widakuswara, VOA’s White House bureau chief and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, welcomed the decision.

“We are eager to begin repairing the damage Kari Lake has inflicted on our agency and our colleagues, to return to our congressional mandate, and to rebuild the trust of the global audience we have been unable to serve for the past year,” she told The Associated Press.

“We know the road to restoring VOA’s operations and reputation will be long and difficult,” she added. “We hope the American people will continue to support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda.”

Founded during World War II, Voice of America has long served as the U.S. government’s primary international broadcaster, delivering news to audiences in countries where independent media is restricted or nonexistent. Before the shutdown, VOA produced content in 49 languages and reached an estimated 362 million people worldwide each week.

Lamberth’s order does not immediately restore full operations but compels the government to begin the process, setting the stage for further legal and political battles over the future of VOA.

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