Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Rehire Media Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to rehire all staff from the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Network, while also mandating the resumption of congressional funding to these outlets. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction on behalf of VOA journalist Patsy Widakuswara and her colleagues against Kari Lake, the acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), on Wednesday.

In his ruling, Lamberth criticized the administration’s actions, stating, “Not only is there an absence of ‘reasoned analysis’ from the defendants; there is an absence of any analysis whatsoever.” He added that the Trump administration was “likely in direct violation of numerous federal laws.”

The judge instructed Lake and her team to take all necessary steps to restore the employees and contractors to their positions. This is crucial for ensuring the production of news that is “consistently reliable and authoritative, accurate, objective and comprehensive,” the judge emphasized.

The ruling stated that the injunction does not apply to Radio Free Europe or the Open Technology Fund, which fall under USAGM. Last month, hundreds of VOA employees were placed on administrative leave following an executive order aimed at implementing substantial cuts to the agency.

The feud between Trump and USAGM escalated in March when the president signed an order seeking to dismantle the organization, calling for a significant reduction in its workforce while alleging that USAGM was engaging in waste and fraud.

Attorneys representing the employees argued that the executive order effectively shut down journalism, leading to a void of objective news in parts of the world. “In many parts of the world, a crucial source of objective news is gone,” the lawsuit stated.

As of now, the Trump administration has not publicly commented on the ruling or the next steps it plans to take regarding the judge’s order.