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A federal judge has determined that the effective shutdown of the VOA last year was against the law and has directed the return of many of its journalists.

Judicial Mandate Issues 7-Day Deadline

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has granted the government one week to put the international broadcaster back on air.

Wartime Roots and Recent Closure

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

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive 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 “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.

Leadership Shake-Up and Widespread Firings

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

Lake proceeded to fire over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—leaving just a handful of employees in their jobs.

Most of the affected staff have been on paid administrative leave since last year. This included Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June.

Judge’s Rationale 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 approved by the US Senate.

In Tuesday's ruling, the judge labeled the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided no a reasonable basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

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 told the Associated Press.

Unclear Future and Wider Context

It is uncertain if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

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

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