Judge Orders Trump To Restore What?

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration likely violated the law in its attempt to dismantle Voice of America and other affiliated news services, issuing an indefinite block on the administration’s move to shut down the government-funded outlets.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth directed the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, to fully reinstate operations of all its news services. The judge also barred the agency from interfering with their legal mandate to operate as “consistently reliable and authoritative” news organizations.

In his decision, Lamberth ordered the agency to return employees placed on administrative leave to their positions, prevent further reductions in workforce while the legal challenge plays out, and continue funding operations for all USAGM-affiliated broadcasters.

The judge, who was appointed by President Reagan, sharply criticized the administration’s approach. “In short, the defendants had no method or approach towards shutting down USAGM that this Court can discern,” he wrote. “They took immediate and drastic action to slash USAGM, without considering its statutorily or constitutionally required functions as required by the plain language of the executive order, and without regard to the harm inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world.”

He concluded that the government’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious,” a strong legal rebuke of the administration’s handling of the agency.

The lawsuit had been filed by a group of VOA journalists, labor unions, and the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders, who challenged President Trump’s executive order calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. That order had led to a wave of administrative leave notices for staff and contractors, as well as suspended funding for other USAGM-funded outlets such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and the Open Technology Fund.

The ruling is a major blow to the administration’s attempt to rework international media operations and marks a legal victory for press freedom advocates who say the government cannot dismantle independent journalism arms without violating federal law.