April 22 (UPI) — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore Voice of America and affiliated news services after ruling Tuesday that last month’s cuts were unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media to restore the staffs of VOA, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Network, and to resume all congressional funding to the news outlets. A preliminary injunction was not granted to Radio Free Europe on Tuesday after it filed a separate lawsuit.
“In short, the defendants had no method or approach towards shutting down USAGM that this court can discern,” said Lamberth, an appointee of former President Reagan.
“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,” Lamberth added.
Before taking office in January, President Donald Trump chose Kari Lake — a former television news anchor and former gubernatorial and senatorial candidate in Arizona — to lead the federally funded VOA. Lake said she found “waste, fraud and abuse run rampant” in the agency before Trump signed an executive order to eliminate USAGM, which oversees the international state media network.
Last month, VOA reporters, unions and the international free press advocacy nonprofit Reporters Without Borders sued the Trump administration over the order and its cuts.
While Trump called the federally funded news network “unnecessary,” lawyers accused the administration of silencing America’s interests abroad, including reports on Hamas, transgender rights or any negative coverage of Trump.
“They can use a scalpel or a sledgehammer; either way it’s viewpoint discrimination,” lawyer Andrew Celli claimed in reference to the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts under Elon Musk.
“The defendants have silenced VOA, canceled funds to affiliate networks and shut down all transmitters at foreign service stations abroad,” Judge Lamberth wrote.
“In sum, the irreparable harm that the plaintiffs allege impacts the very existence of USAGM, the health and safety of its journalists and employees, and the interests of the millions of reporters and listeners who depend on USAGM’s programming.”
