Judge James Paul Oetken bars US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which operates VOA, from terminating more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff
WASHINGTON: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March 29th, 2025) A Federal judge on Saturday issued an injunction against the Trump administration’s forced layoffs of Voice of America (VOA) staff.
The international media reported that on Friday, the judge halted the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the eight-decade-old US government-funded international news service, calling it "a classic case of arbitrary and unreasonable decision-making,".
Judge James Paul Oetken barred the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—which operates VOA—from terminating more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff. These employees had been suspended two weeks ago following an order by President Donald Trump to cut funding.
Oetken issued a temporary injunction, prohibiting the agency from "dismissing, reducing workforce, furloughing, or forcing leave on employees or contractors."
The order also prevented the closure of any offices or the recall of overseas employees back to the US.
Additionally, the injunction blocked the agency from cutting grant funding for its other broadcasting entities including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and Radio Free Afghanistan.
The agency announced on Thursday that it had resumed funding for Radio Free Europe following a Washington D.C. court ruling.
Plaintiffs' attorney Andrew G. Celli Jr. called the ruling a “decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment,” condemning the Trump administration’s disregard for democratic principles.
During Friday’s hearing in Manhattan, Judge Oetken criticized the Trump administration for attempting to “dismantle a legally authorized and Congress-funded agency.”
The ruling came after a lawsuit was filed last week by a coalition of VOA journalists, labor unions, and the nonprofit advocacy group Reporters Without Borders to halt the layoffs. Ultimately, the plaintiffs seek to restart VOA broadcasts.
They argued that the shutdown violated a previous court ruling during Trump’s first term, which protected VOA journalists from White House interference. Their absence from global broadcasts, they warned, created a void being filled by propaganda forces seeking to dominate international media narratives.
Trump and other Republicans have accused VOA of “left-wing bias” and failing to promote pro-American values to its international audience. However, Congress mandated VOA to function as an impartial news organization.
It is noteworthy that on March 14, Trump issued an executive order cutting funding for USAGM and six other federal agencies, leading to VOA’s broadcast shutdown. This move was part of Trump’s efforts to shrink the government and align agencies with his political agenda. That same month, Trump also attempted to terminate VOA’s agreements with news agencies, including the Associated Press.
For the current fiscal year, Congress allocated approximately $860 million for the US Agency for Global Media.
