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Judge Orders Voice of America to Reinstate 1,000 Employees by March 2026

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A federal judge in Washington ordered Voice of America to fully restart its news operations and bring more than 1,000 sidelined employees back to work by March 23, 2026, nullifying nearly all steps the Trump administration had taken to shut down the U.S.-funded broadcaster.nytimes +1 The ruling found the year‑long wind‑down of VOA and its parent agency unlawful and a violation of congressional mandates and basic administrative law.nytimes +2

The decision by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth marked a sweeping legal defeat for the administration’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and other international broadcasters. Beginning in March 2025, more than 1,300 VOA employees — including roughly 1,000 journalists — were placed on leave after an executive order to slash the agency, followed by layoffs that ultimately cut about 85% of staff across USAGM.tvnewscheck +1 Lamberth’s new order restores more than 1,000 full‑time employees and support staff, though several hundred contractors remain in limbo.politico

How the Court Unwound Trump’s VOA Shutdown

Lamberth concluded the administration’s effort to wind down VOA was “arbitrary and capricious,” citing an “absence of any analysis whatsoever” to justify shuttering a congressionally mandated broadcaster.npr The court found that the shutdown clashed with the International Broadcasting Act and with appropriations in which Congress directed USAGM to maintain global news operations, including in countries with restricted press freedom.nytimes +1

The ruling also rested on concerns about who was in charge. Earlier this month, Lamberth held that Trump ally Kari Lake had been unlawfully empowered to serve as acting CEO of USAGM, calling her appointment an illegal end‑run around the Senate’s confirmation role.politico On Tuesday, he used that finding to void many of her decisions, including mass layoffs and the sidelining of staff. However, he stopped short of ordering the reinstatement of roughly 600 personal‑service contractors, saying contract disputes must be handled in the Court of Federal Claims.politico

Press Freedom, Global Reach and the Next Fight

VOA, founded in 1942, has long been a central pillar of U.S. international broadcasting, with services in nearly 50 languages and an audience in countries such as Iran, China and Russia.nytimes +1 Free‑press groups warned that the shutdown handed an advantage to authoritarian states and disinformation campaigns; staff at sister outlet Radio Free Asia said “authoritarian regimes are already celebrating” similar cuts there.alternet +1 Rights organizations including Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International argued that dismantling USAGM undercut U.S. advocacy for independent media worldwide.washingtonpost +1

Inside VOA, the ruling was greeted as a lifeline but not a full reset. “We are eager to begin repairing the damage Kari Lake has inflicted on our agency and our colleagues, to return to the trust of the global audience we have been unable to serve for the past year,” senior journalists wrote in a joint statement, stressing their mission to produce “journalism, not propaganda.”politico The White House, by contrast, blasted the decision; spokesperson Taylor Rogers called Lamberth “a radical district judge” interfering with efforts to make government “more efficient.”bbc

The Bigger Picture

Congress’s move in January to allocate about $653 million to USAGM, despite Trump’s push to defund the agency, set the stage for the court’s intervention by underscoring bipartisan support for keeping VOA on the air.washingtonpost +1 The ruling reinforces limits on a president’s power to dismantle congressionally created media institutions, while leaving unresolved battles over VOA’s editorial “firewall” and future leadership. As staff rush to restore broadcasts by next week, the decision signals that the fight over how — and whether — the U.S. government supports independent journalism abroad is far from over.