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".
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.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military position...
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tourna...
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev a...
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported...
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday and said it had seized control of at least three of them.
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tournament.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday and said it had seized control of at least three of them.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment