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An federal court has determined that the practical shutdown of the VOA last year was against the law and has directed the return of many of its reporters.

Court Mandate Issues 7-Day Deadline

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to get the VOA broadcasting again.

Historical Roots and Recent Closure

The VOA was first set up in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi propaganda.

Just weeks after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his administration accused of political bias. The order also included networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be phased out as much as legally possible.

Leadership Shake-Up and Widespread Firings

President Trump named Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent company that oversees and funds the VOA and related networks.

Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just a handful of employees in their jobs.

Most of the affected staff have been on leave with pay since last year. This even applied to Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June.

Judge’s Rationale and Decision

Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the legal power to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been approved by the US Senate.

In this week's ruling, the judge labeled the decision to sack the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“The government have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.

Reporters’ Lawsuit and Response

Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being profoundly thankful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will continue to support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she said to the Associated Press.

Unclear Future and Broader Context

It is uncertain if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.

Trump's criticisms of the VOA are part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as deeply divided.