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A federal judge has determined that the effective shutdown of the Voice of America last year was against the law and has commanded the return of hundreds of its reporters.

Judicial Mandate Sets One-Week Timeline

Federal Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government seven days to restore the broadcaster's operations.

Wartime Roots and Trump-Era Shutdown

The VOA was originally set up during World War Two to combat Nazi disinformation.

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 targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.

Leadership Shake-Up and Mass Dismissals

President Trump appointed Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that oversees and funds the VOA and other networks.

Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just a small number of employees remaining.

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.

Court’s Reasoning and Decision

Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake lacked the legal power to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

In this week's ruling, the federal judge described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had failed to consider legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided no a reasonable basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.

Journalists’ Lawsuit and Reaction

Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, said she was profoundly thankful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she said to reporters.

Unclear Next Steps and Broader Context

It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will appeal.

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

Trump's attacks of the VOA are part of his broader attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.