Federal judge rules Trump administration's dismantling of Voice of America unlawful, orders reinstatement of 1,000+ employees

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, ruled that the Trump administration's efforts to shut down operations at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and Voice of America violated federal administrative law. In two separate rulings, Lamberth ordered the reinstatement of more than 1,000 VOA employees who had been placed on paid administrative leave for the past year and mandated their return to work by March 23. The judge found that the mass layoffs carried out under Kari Lake's leadership at USAGM were unlawful and that defendants were 'unlawfully withholding mandatory agency action.' The ruling came 10 days after Lamberth determined that Lake's appointment itself was unlawful, rendering the job cuts invalid. The decision represents a significant setback to the administration's push to drastically shrink the taxpayer-funded international broadcaster, part of a broader pattern of attacks on independent media institutions that provide oversight and information inde...

"are unlawfully withholding mandatory agency action" — Judge Royce Lamberth's ruling finding the Trump administration violated federal administrative law in dismantling Voice of America operations