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.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
A Russian court on Thursday imposed restrictions on Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice, who is accused of spreading false information about the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine.
China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO has used concealed equipment aboard some of its vessels to collect intelligence on military communications near the coastlines of countries including the U.S., according to two senior Trump administration officials.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would block federal funding for universities that boycott Israel, as Republicans push ahead with pro-Israel measures despite growing criticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has rejected claims that Moroccan authorities orchestrated July’s deadly mass border crossing into Ceuta, saying Spain has found no evidence that Rabat planned or carried out the incident.
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