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An US court has ruled that the practical closure of the Voice of America last year was “illegal” and has commanded the reinstatement of hundreds of its journalists.

Judicial Mandate Sets 7-Day Timeline

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

Historical Roots and Recent Shutdown

The VOA was first set up during World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi propaganda.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an presidential directive to defund the broadcaster, which his officials claimed had left-wing bias. The order also included networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”.

Leadership Shake-Up and Widespread Firings

President Trump appointed 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 over 85 percent of the agency's employees—more than 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—leaving just a handful of employees remaining.

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

Judge’s Rationale and Decision

Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the authority 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 described the decision to fire the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had ignored legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided nothing approaching a reasonable basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

Reporters’ Legal Challenge and Response

Three VOA journalists had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, said she was deeply grateful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce factual reporting, not biased messaging,” she told reporters.

Unclear Next Steps and Broader Context

It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in almost 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his broader attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.