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A federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to halt its efforts to dismantle U.S.-funded international news services, mandating the full reinstatement of employees and the resumption of broadcasts at Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).
Judge Royce Lamberth, who is handling six combined lawsuits from employees and contractors, ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump broke the law when it suddenly shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) in March.
The ruling follows the Trump administration’s March 15 directive, announced by advisor and acting USAGM head Kari Lake, which placed over 1,000 employees on administrative leave and moved to terminate more than 500 contractors, claiming the agency was “irretrievably broken.”
The court's preliminary injunction instructs the government to take “all necessary steps” to restore staffing and resume USAGM's radio, television, and digital content. It also requires the agency to provide monthly compliance reports and reinstate congressionally approved grant funding to ensure that outlets can fulfill their mandate to deliver “accurate, objective, and comprehensive” journalism.
“This is a significant victory for press freedom,” said attorney Andrew Celli, representing the plaintiffs, according to Reuters.
Judge Lamberth also noted that Congress had not authorized the executive branch to defund or terminate USAGM services unilaterally. He highlighted that President Trump had signed a government funding bill in March that included appropriations for USAGM but took no action to rescind them.
Founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, Voice of America has since become a key soft-power tool for U.S. foreign policy, reaching hundreds of millions of listeners globally.
While the ruling orders reinstatement for most of the affected networks, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and the Open Technology Fund (OTF) were excluded from the injunction due to separate pending legal actions.
USAGM has not yet issued a public comment in response to the ruling.
