Judge orders Voice of America to rehire employees, resume news operations

A judicial appointee of former President Ronald Reagan on Tuesday ordered Voice of America (VOA) to rehire its employees and resume international broadcasting. The ruling from District Judge Royce C. Lamberth comes more than a year after President Trump significantly downsized the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and directed Voice of America to dismiss all but 68 employees. Lamberth said the Trump administration was in a “flagrant and nearly year-long” refusal to uphold congressional mandates by dwindling its staff and resources.

Two weeks ago, he ruled that Kari Lake was unlawfully serving as the head of USAGM. USAGM is overseen by six bipartisan House and Senate committees. Lawmakers provide funding for the independent agency which focuses on countering misinformation abroad, according to its website.

The two rulings have been celebrated by both plaintiffs, including VOA Director Michael Abramowitz who brought one of the cases against the administration. A separate lawsuit was filed by VOA’s White House bureau chief, Patsy Widakuswara, Press Freedom Editor Jessica Jerreat and USAGM’s Director of Strategy and Performance Assessment, Kate Neeper.

The latter group said it was eager to “rebuild the trust of the global audience” that the broadcaster has been unable to serve for the past year, according to the Washington Post. Officials from USAGM and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.