DC judge blocks Trump from shuttering Voice of America

President Donald Trump’s administration has once again been blocked by a federal judge, this time stopping the dismantling of Voice of America.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a ruling on Tuesday claiming that the administration “illegally required Voice of America to cease operations for the first time since its World War II-era inception,” according to The Associated Press.

Attorneys for the employees and contractors of the news service petitioned the judge to restore their ability to broadcast, effectively nullifying Trump’s decision to slash the funding that made their work possible. Judge Lamberth granted a large part of their request, ordering the current administration to restore not only VoA but also Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. These networks are independent and operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

However, Lamberth did not order the restoration of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Open Technology Fund.

On March 14, shortly after this inauguration, Trump signed an executive order that dramatically shrunk the funding used by the Agency for Global Media and several other unrelated federal entities. The move also terminated contracts between the VoA and news outlets like the AP.

“In a March 26 court filing, plaintiffs’ attorneys said nearly all 1,300 of Voice of America’s employees were placed on administrative leave, while 500 contractors were told that their contracts would be terminated at the end of last month,” the AP reported.

Republicans have long held that these broadcasting agencies have been home to leftist bias that shuts out right-leaning points of view. Attorneys for the organizations claim this is not accurate, saying the organizations report “truthfully, impartially, and objectively.”

“That simple mission is a powerful one for those living across the globe without access to a free press and without the ability to otherwise discern what is truly happening,” they write in their filing.

Meanwhile, lawyers representing the federal government allege that the employees and contractors fail to prove they’ve been irreparably harmed by the funding cut.

“Rather, Plaintiffs take aim at what is best described as a temporary pause on its activities while Global Media determines how to bring Voice of America into compliance with the President’s directive,” they said.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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