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An US court has ruled that the practical closure of the Voice of America last year was against the law and has commanded the reinstatement of hundreds of its journalists.

Court Mandate Issues 7-Day Timeline

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

Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown

The VOA was first established in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi disinformation.

Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump signed an presidential directive to defund the broadcaster, which his officials accused of left-wing bias. The order also included networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.

Management Shake-Up and Widespread Dismissals

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

Lake proceeded to terminate the vast majority of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA alone—leaving just a small number of employees in their jobs.

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

Court’s Rationale and Decision

Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake lacked the authority to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

In Tuesday's decision, the judge labeled the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had ignored laws that dictate what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

Reporters’ Lawsuit and Reaction

Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being profoundly thankful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she said to reporters.

Unclear Next Steps and Wider Context

It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will appeal.

Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his wider criticism of the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as deeply divided.