US judge orders Trump administration to reopen Voice of America

Some 85% of VOA staff were laid off by Trump who accused the international broadcaster of bias.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the operations of Voice of America (VOA), allowing over a thousand employees to return to work after a year-long shutdown. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake, previously chosen by former President Trump to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), had no legal authority to suspend VOA's activities and place 1,042 out of 1,147 staff members on administrative leave. The judge criticized the administration's actions as lacking a justified rationale and gave USAGM a week to devise a plan to resume normal broadcasts. Patsy Widakuswara, VOA’s White House bureau chief and a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, expressed gratitude and emphasized the need to rebuild trust and fulfill VOA’s journalistic mission. Voice of America has been a key source of independent news for global audiences since World War II, broadcasting in 49 languages to an estimated 362 million people prior to its shutdown.