U.S. court reinstates over 1,000 Voice of America employees, rules wind-down 'illegal'

Employees of Voice of America (VOA) who had spent nearly a year on paid administrative leave may soon return to work after U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that efforts to scale down the broadcaster were unlawful.

On Tuesday, Judge Lamberth ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent body, to reinstate more than 1,000 employees and resume full operations. The judge said the near-total shutdown of the agency, which also oversees outlets such as Radio Free Asia, violated federal administrative law.

Under the President Trump administration’s "DOGE" initiative, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) faced a massive downsizing effort starting in March 2025, which saw roughly 85% of staff, including over 1,000 Voice of America employees, placed on indefinite leave and several foreign language services suspended.

Lamberth directed that staff be brought back by March 23 and that international broadcasting, largely halted over the past year except for limited output, airing in languages such as Farsi, be restored.

In his ruling, the judge criticised what he described as a “flagrant and nearly year-long refusal” to comply with legal obligations. He also said that Kari Lake, the Trump official who oversaw the dismantling of the agency and the government's withholding of key information regarding the case, was in “bad faith".

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The decision came following two related lawsuits, one filed by VOA Director Michael Abramowitz and another by a group of employees.

In a joint statement, plaintiffs Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper described the ruling as a “monumental decision” and said they were ready to rebuild the organisation and restore its global audience.

“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,” they wrote.

The ruling overturns a March 2025 memorandum that had reduced the agency to just 68 positions, effectively dismantling most of its operations.

Officials from USAGM and the Justice Department have yet to react or respond to the ruling.

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