NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The Voice of America can鈥檛 be silenced just yet.
A federal judge on Friday halted the Trump administration鈥檚 efforts to dismantle the eight-decade-old U.S. government-funded international news service, calling the move a 鈥渃lassic case of arbitrary and capricious decision making.鈥�
Judge James Paul Oetken blocked the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs Voice of America, from firing more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff that it sidelined two weeks ago in the wake of President Donald Trump ordering its funding slashed.
Oetken issued a temporary restraining order barring the agency from 鈥渁ny further attempt to terminate, reduce-in-force, place on leave, or furlough鈥� employees or contractors, and from closing any offices or requiring overseas employees to return to the U.S.
The order also bars the Agency for Global Media from terminating grant funding for its other broadcast outlets, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Afghanistan. The agency said Thursday it was restoring Radio Free Europe鈥檚 funding after a judge in Washington, D.C. ordered it to do so.
鈥淭his is a decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment, and a sharp rebuke鈥� to the Trump administration鈥檚 鈥渦tter disregard for the principles that define our democracy,鈥� said the plaintiffs鈥� lawyer Andrew G. Celli Jr.
Trump administration's approach is criticized
At a hearing Friday in Manhattan, Oetken faulted the Trump administration for 鈥渢aking a sledgehammer to an agency that has been statutorily authorized and funded by Congress.鈥�
The judge criticized the agency鈥檚 leadership, including special adviser Kari Lake, for pulling the plug 鈥渟eemingly overnight鈥� on the U.S. government鈥檚 global, soft-power megaphone with 鈥渘o consideration of the effects.鈥�
Oetken ruled after a coalition of Voice of America journalists, labor unions and the nonprofit journalism advocacy group Reporters Without Borders sued the Trump administration last week to block the cuts. Ultimately, they seek to have VOA return to the air.
The plaintiffs argued the shutdown violated a court鈥檚 finding during Trump鈥檚 first term that VOA journalists have a free-speech firewall protecting them from White House interference. Their absence from the airwaves has left a vacuum that鈥檚 being filled by 鈥減ropagandists whose messages will monopolize global airwaves,鈥� the plaintiffs said.
Trump and other Republicans have accused Voice of America of a 鈥渓eftist bias鈥� and failing to project 鈥減ro-American鈥� values to its worldwide audience, even though it is mandated by congress to serve as a non-partisan news organization.
Voice of America went off the air soon after Trump issued an executive order on March 14 that pared funding to the Agency for Global Media and six other unrelated federal entities 鈥� part of his campaign to shrink government and align its with his political agenda. It also moved this month to including The Associated Press.
The White House called the service 鈥淭he Voice of Radical America鈥� and said Trump鈥檚 order would 鈥渆nsure that taxpayers are no longer on the hook for radical propaganda.鈥� It cited coverage it said was 鈥渢oo favorable鈥� to former President Joe Biden, as well as stories about white privilege, racial profiling and transgender migrants seeking asylum.
Congress has appropriated nearly $860 million for the Agency for Global Media for the current fiscal year.
Additional lawsuits are pending
Three federal lawsuits in Washington, D.C. are challenging other aspects of the cuts, including one brought by Voice of America鈥檚 director and three journalists. Oetken said he鈥檒l rule at a later date on the government鈥檚 request to move his case there.
beaming news into authoritarian countries that don鈥檛 have a free press. It began as a counterpoint to Nazi propaganda and played a prominent role in the U.S. government鈥檚 Cold War efforts to curb the spread of communism.
According to the lawsuit, Voice of America employees were told to finish their live broadcasts on March 15, then vacate the building. Soon after, the lawsuit said, they lost access to agency computer systems, including email. Voice of America鈥檚 news website hasn鈥檛 been updated since.
Lake, a former TV news anchor and political candidate, said she has been determining how many people are required to operate some of these outlets at the minimum staffing levels allowed by law.
Some people have been brought back to work and at least one service 鈥� Radio Marti in Cuba 鈥� has returned to the air, Lake told One America News Network in an interview posted Thursday on X.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get lawsuits,鈥� Lake said. 鈥淭his is just par for the course. We鈥檝e been victims 鈥� President Trump has, I myself have 鈥� of 鈥榣awfare鈥�. It鈥檚 the same cast of characters that is trying to put landmines in the ways of every step President Trump and this administration is trying to do to get this government back in line to where we can actually afford it.鈥�
Lake, echoing the White House鈥檚 complaints, said: 鈥淲e want to make sure that these agencies are in line with what our American values are. We鈥檙e telling America鈥檚 story. We鈥檙e not telling our adversaries鈥� stories.鈥�
鈥淏y God," she said, 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to be putting out anti-American garbage.鈥�
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Associated Press media writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
