 "US federal judge temporarily bars Trump from firing 1,300 Voice of America staff")
A US Federal judge on Friday ordered Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily pause its efforts to shut down Voice of America (VOA) and fire 1,300 employees working in the news organisation. The ruling came after the journalists and other employees of the American news service were abruptly placed on leave earlier this month.
District Judge J Paul Oetken, who was overseeing the case, said on Friday that US President Donald Trump and his government could not unilaterally terminate Voice of America and related radio programs since the news service was approved and funded by the US Congress. The federal judge noted that rescinding funds for these programs would require congressional approval.
Oetken did not order VOA to resume broadcasts or any form of operation. However, the ruling made it clear that employees should not be fired until court proceedings could determine whether the shutdown was “arbitrary and capricious” in violation of federal law, Reuters reported.
“This is a decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment, and a sharp rebuke to an administration that has shown utter disregard for the principles that define our democracy,” said Andrew Celli, an attorney for the plaintiffs, after the hearing.
VOA’s future remains uncertain
The US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe, along with other government-funded news outlets, had told the unions that it was about to terminate 623 Voice of America employees, a number that “entirely forecloses” any attempt to resume broadcasts. It is pertinent to note that VOA was founded to combat Nazi propaganda during the Second World War.
Over the years, the news outlet became an international broadcaster, operating in more than 40 languages and is known for pushing US narratives into countries that lack free press. As a US federal agency, Global Media currently employs around 3,500 workers with a budget of $886 million in 2024.
After the Trump administration’s latest move, VOA journalists and their unions sued the US Agency for Global Media, its acting director, Victor Morales, and special adviser Kari Lake, arguing that their shutdown violated the workers’ rights safeguarded by constitutional First Amendment right to free speech.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt is important to note that the VOA union lawsuit is one of four pending challenges to the Trump administration’s attempted shutdown of government-funded media programs. Other suits are filed by Radio Free Europe, a separate group of Voice of America employees, and grant recipient Open Technology Fund.
Defending the Trump administration’s move, the US Agency for Global Media argued that it had not violated the laws that governed Voice of America’s operations. In the court filing, the agency said it had reduced operations to a “statutory minimum” by restoring broadcasts in Cuba and reinstating 33 employees at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.
With inputs from agencies.
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