In the US, a court ordered the White House to restore the “Voice of America” broadcasts

In the US, a federal judge has ruled that the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) must reverse its decision that placed more than 1 000 “Voice of America” (VOA) employees on leave.

This is reported by NBC News and The Washington Post.

The ruling said the near-total shutdown of the agency, which oversees “Voice of America” and funds several international broadcasters, violated federal administrative law. The judge ordered full-time employees to return to work by March 23 and ordered the agency to resume international broadcasting, which it had largely suspended over the past year.

The decision was made following two separate but related lawsuits: one filed by “Voice of America” director Michael Abramowitz and the other by a group of employees.

The decision reverses a three-page memorandum signed by USAGM officials last March that retained only 68 positions at the agency and eliminated all other roles.

What preceded

In mid-March 2025, the entire “Voice of America” staff—more than 1 300 journalists, producers, and support staff—was placed on administrative leave. The Ukrainian edition also suspended broadcasting.

This came after Trump signed an executive order on March 14 directing the US Agency for Global Media and six other little-known agencies to reduce their operations to the minimum required by law, saying it was necessary to reduce bureaucracy.

Reuters notes that Trump, who clashed with “Voice of America” during his first term, wanted Kari Lake, his ally and former news anchor who has often accused mainstream media of being biased against Trump, to lead the network in his second term. He said this before his inauguration.

At the time, some VOA journalists expressed concern about the idea because Lake often criticizes the media and has disputed the results of previous elections. In late February, USAGM reported that Lake would join the agency as a special advisor.

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