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An US court has ruled that the effective shutdown of the VOA last year was against the law and has ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of its journalists.

Court Mandate Issues One-Week Timeline

Federal Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities seven days to restore the broadcaster's operations.

Historical Roots and Trump-Era Shutdown

The VOA was originally established in World War Two to counter Nazi disinformation.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to shut down the broadcaster, which his officials claimed had left-wing bias. The order also included networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.

Management Changes and Mass Firings

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

Lake then terminate over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a handful of employees remaining.

Most of the affected staff have been on leave with pay since last year. This included 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 ruled that Lake lacked the authority to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

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

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

Reporters’ Legal Challenge and Reaction

Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being deeply grateful 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 reporters.

Uncertain Future and Broader Context

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

Before being wound down, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his wider criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.