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An US judge has declared that the effective closure of the Voice of America last year was unlawful and has ordered the reinstatement of many of its journalists.

Judicial Order Issues One-Week Deadline

District Court Judge Royce Lamberth has given authorities seven days to get the VOA broadcasting again.

Historical Origins and Recent Closure

The VOA was first established during World War Two with the aim of countering Nazi propaganda.

Only a short time after returning to office as president, Donald Trump issued an executive order to defund the broadcaster, which his officials accused of political bias. The order also included outlets such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, calling for them to be phased out as much as legally possible.

Management Changes and Widespread Dismissals

President Trump appointed Kari Lake to run the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the oversight body that manages and finances the VOA and other networks.

Lake proceeded to sack the vast majority of the agency's employees—over 1,000 staff at VOA by itself—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.

Judge’s Reasoning and Ruling

Last week, Judge Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the legal power to order the suspension of the USAGM workforce, as she had not been confirmed by the US Senate.

In this week's decision, the federal judge labeled the decision to sack the journalists as “arbitrary and capricious,”, adding that the government had not taken into account legislation that determine what languages and regions the VOA must serve.

“Defendants have provided no a principled basis for their decision,” Lamberth wrote.

Journalists’ Legal Challenge and Response

Three VOA journalists had sued the Trump administration. One of them, Patsy Widakuswara, said she was deeply grateful for the judge's decision.

“We hope the American people will keep support our mission to produce journalism, not propaganda,” she said to the Associated Press.

Unclear Next Steps and Wider Context

It is not clear if Lake's nominated successor, Sarah Rogers—whose appointment needs Senate confirmation—will challenge the ruling.

Prior to its shutdown, the VOA broadcast TV, radio, and digital content in nearly 50 languages.

Trump's attacks of the VOA form part of his wider criticism of the US media, which research indicates American news consumers view as highly polarised.