Court finds Voice of America cuts illegal and orders work to resume

A federal court has ruled to overturn a decision by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) that led to the dismissal of more than 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees.

This is reported by NBC News.

Judge Royce Lambert said the appointment of Carey Lake, a Donald Trump ally who headed USAGM and oversaw job cuts, violated federal law.

“Lake repeatedly ignored the requirements of the law, and the Trump administration did not attempt to defend the appropriateness of its decision to reduce staff,” the judge noted.

The court ordered the reinstatement of nearly 1,000 full-time employees of Voice of America.

VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, who was placed on administrative leave along with hundreds of employees, welcomed the court’s decision:

“We are very pleased with Judge Lambert’s decision and look forward to getting back to work,” Abramowitz told NBC News.

“The Voice of America has never been more needed. I am grateful for the resilience and dedication of VOA’s wonderful employees,” he added.

Abramowitz filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last year to restore the organization’s editorial independence, a lawsuit that formed the basis of the case in which Judge Lambert issued his ruling.

Due to staff cuts under Trump, Voice of America broadcasts in only four languages instead of the previous 49, with which the organization reached 420 million people in more than 100 countries.

Recall that in March last year, Voice of America stopped broadcasting in Ukrainian . All employees were placed on administrative leave.

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