🔗 Share this article American Judge Orders Trump Government to Restart VOA. Media tools on a desk. (Image Credit: Getty Images) A US judge has ruled that the effective shutdown of the Voice of America last year was “illegal” and has ordered the return of many of its reporters. Judicial Order Sets One-Week Timeline District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities one week to get the VOA broadcasting again. Historical Origins and Recent Shutdown The VOA was first set up in World War Two to combat Nazi disinformation. Just weeks after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to close the broadcaster, which his administration claimed had political bias. The order also targeted networks such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, stating they should be phased out as much as legally possible. Leadership Shake-Up and Mass Dismissals President Trump appointed Kari Lake to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that oversees and funds the VOA and other networks. Lake then terminate over 85 percent of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA alone—with only a handful of employees in their jobs. Most of the dismissed staff have been on leave with pay since last year. This even applied to Persian Service reporters who were temporarily|called back to work after Israel attacked Iran last June. Court’s Reasoning and Ruling Last week, Judge Lamberth found that Lake did not have the legal power to suspend the operations of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate. In this week's ruling, the federal judge labeled the decision to fire the journalists as unreasonable and impulsive, adding that the government had failed to consider legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve. “Defendants have provided nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth stated in his opinion. Journalists’ Lawsuit and Response Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, expressed being deeply grateful for the judge's decision. “We hope the American people will continue to support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she told reporters. Unclear Future and Broader Implications It is uncertain if Lake's proposed successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment requires Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling. Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages. Trump's criticisms of the VOA form part of his wider attacks against the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.