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A US court has ruled that the practical shuttering of the VOA last year was against the law and has ordered the return of many of its journalists.

Court Mandate Sets 7-Day Timeline

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to restore the broadcaster's operations.

Historical Origins and Trump-Era Closure

The VOA was originally created in World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi disinformation.

Just weeks after being sworn in again as president, Donald Trump issued an presidential directive to close the broadcaster, which his administration accused of 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 named Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that oversees and funds the VOA and other networks.

Lake then terminate more than 85% 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 dismissed 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.

Court’s Rationale and Ruling

Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake did not have the legal power to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been approved by the US Senate.

In this week's decision, the federal judge described the decision to sack 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 the Associated Press.

Unclear Next Steps and Broader Implications

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 are part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.