U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered more than 1,000 Voice of America employees to be reinstated and directed the U.S. Agency for Global Media to submit a plan to restore VOA broadcasts by March 23. The rulings found efforts to install Kari Lake and to curtail USAGM's operations unlawful; Lake says she will appeal. VOA leadership and plaintiffs called the decision crucial to restoring the broadcaster's global mission.
Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement Of 1,000+ Voice Of America Employees, Demands Plan To Restore Broadcasts
‘Voice of America has never been more needed,’ says VOA director Michael Abramowitz after ruling.Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP(Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP)
A Republican-appointed federal judge has ordered that more than 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees be reinstated after actions by the Trump administration effectively dismantled the broadcaster and triggered mass layoffs.
Court Rulings Restore Staff and Direct Agency Action
In two separate rulings issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth found that efforts to shut down operations at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) — the independent federal agency that oversees VOA — were unlawful. Lamberth ordered that the laid-off employees be returned to work by March 23 and instructed the agency to produce a plan to restore VOA's broadcasts.
Background: Leadership Dispute and Layoffs
The judge's latest order follows a decision issued just 10 days earlier that concluded former USAGM director Kari Lake had been installed unlawfully. Lamberth wrote that the administration's efforts to place Lake and other figures into agency leadership were "unlawfully withholding mandatory agency action." Lake led USAGM from July 31 to November 19, 2025, during which time more than 1,000 staff were dismissed. In a post to Twitter, Lake said she intends to appeal Lamberth's ruling on the legality of her tenure.
Lawsuits And Leadership Protections
Earlier rulings had also blocked Lake from removing Michael Abramowitz as VOA director. Abramowitz and other staff members filed lawsuits challenging the leadership changes and the staffing decisions that followed. Abramowitz praised Lamberth's decision, telling the Washington Post that “Voice of America has never been more needed,” and expressing gratitude for the dedication of the VOA workforce.
“We are eager to begin repairing the damage Kari Lake has inflicted on our agency and our colleagues, to return to our congressional mandate, and to rebuild the trust of the global audience we have been unable to serve for the past year,” wrote plaintiffs and former employees Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat and Kate Neeper.
Why It Matters
VOA is the United States' largest and oldest international broadcaster, providing news and support to outlets such as Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe. According to reporting by the Washington Post, many VOA employees have been on paid administrative leave for roughly a year amid efforts by the Trump administration to defund parts of USAGM and reduce the agency to the “minimum presence and function required by law.”
Lamberth's rulings require USAGM to reverse actions that effectively dismantled VOA and to submit a concrete plan for returning the service to the airwaves. The order marks a significant judicial check on the administration's efforts and sets a firm timeline for bringing staff back to work and restoring VOA's broadcasts.
Next steps: USAGM must file a plan to restore VOA operations and comply with the court's timeline, while Kari Lake has announced plans to appeal the rulings. The coming days are likely to see legal filings and practical steps to reinstate staff and resume broadcasts.
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