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An US judge has declared that the practical shutdown of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has directed the return of many of its journalists.

Judicial Mandate Sets One-Week Timeline

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

Wartime Origins and Recent Closure

The VOA was originally established during World War Two to combat Nazi propaganda.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his administration claimed had political bias. The order also targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.

Leadership Shake-Up and Widespread Dismissals

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

Lake proceeded to terminate the vast majority of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—with only a handful of employees remaining.

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

Judge’s Rationale and Ruling

Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the legal power to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

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

“The government have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion.

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 continue to support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she said to reporters.

Uncertain Next Steps and Wider Context

It is uncertain if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs 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 are part of his wider criticism of the US media, which studies suggest American news consumers view as highly polarised.