{"id":2333,"date":"2026-03-18T03:41:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T03:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2333"},"modified":"2026-03-18T03:41:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T03:41:22","slug":"us-court-reinstates-voa-employees-declares-trump-era-shutdown-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2333","title":{"rendered":"US Court Reinstates VOA Employees, Declares Trump-Era Shutdown Illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Washington: A U.S. federal court has ordered the reinstatement of more than 1,000 employees of Voice of America (VOA), declaring the near-total shutdown of its parent agency unlawful, according to a report by The Washington Post.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for Global Media violated federal administrative law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision mandates that all full-time employees return to work by March 23 and that international broadcasting operations resume immediately after being largely halted for nearly a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The court sharply criticized the actions taken under the administration of Donald Trump, particularly targeting Kari Lake, who oversaw the agency during the shutdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judge Lamberth described the government\u2019s conduct as a \u201cflagrant and nearly year-long refusal\u201d to comply with congressional requirements. In a strongly worded remark, he characterized the lack of transparency in the case as resembling a \u201cHallmark production in bad faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ruling stems from two interconnected lawsuits, including one filed by VOA Director Michael Abramowitz and another by a group of employees. Plaintiffs welcomed the decision as a \u201cmonumental\u201d step toward restoring the agency\u2019s credibility and operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In their statement, employees emphasized their commitment to repairing the damage caused during the shutdown and rebuilding trust with global audiences. Abramowitz also expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating that VOA\u2019s role in international journalism is now more critical than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision effectively nullifies a previous memorandum issued by USAGM officials, which had reduced the agency\u2019s workforce to just 68 positions while eliminating all other roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The court\u2019s order is expected to revive VOA\u2019s global broadcasting services, including those in multiple languages that had been suspended during the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Officials from USAGM and the U.S. Justice Department have yet to comment on the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington: A U.S. federal court has ordered the reinstatement of more than 1,000 employees of Voice of America (VOA), declaring the near-total shutdown of its parent agency unlawful, according to&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[100,254,1805,1804],"class_list":["post-2333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-donald-trump","tag-united-states","tag-us-federal-court","tag-voa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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