US court blocks Trump’s order to shut down VOA.
In a surprising twist, a U.S. court suspended one of the executive orders by US president Donald Trump.
According to international media, a federal judge ruled Trump’s order to shut down Voice of America (VOA) unconstitutional and blocked its implementation.
The court maintained that due to government funding cuts, VOA couldn’t fulfil its journalistic mission for the first time in its 80-year history.
Judge Royce Lamberth stated that the shutdown ignored the impact on employees, journalists, and global media audiences.
The court ordered the reinstatement of all employees and contractors of VOA, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks to their original positions.
Violation of International Broadcasting Act
The judge also said that the administration violated the International Broadcasting Act and the Congressional authority over funding allocations.
VOA’s White House Bureau Chief and lead plaintiff, Patsy Widakuswara, welcomed the ruling, expressing concern that the government might appeal.
She reaffirmed their commitment to resisting the unlawful silencing of VOA until the organization can return to its core mission.
The court also instructed the Trump administration to immediately restore jobs and funding for all affected staff.
Also read: Trump, Pakistan, and the politics of suppression
Over 1,300 employees—including nearly 1,000 journalists—were previously forced on leave following Trump’s directive.
‘Anti Trump agenda’
The Trump administration had blamed these media organizations of being “anti-Trump” and “extremist”.
Established during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA has grown into a globally recognized media outlet.
Trump’s enmity with VOA
Trump had long denounced VOA and other media groups for alleged bias and had appointed political ally Michael Pack—who supported his election fraud claims—to lead the agency at the start of his second term.
Voice of America is an international broadcasting state media network funded by the federal government of the United States.
It is the largest and oldest of the U.S. international broadcasters, producing digital, TV, and radio content in 48 languages for affiliate stations around the world.
