Last mentioned: Mar 18, 2026
Restoration Deadline
Deadline for USAGM to submit a plan for putting VOA back on the air.
Reinstatement Order
Judge orders all sidelined staff back to work and voids previous shutdown actions.
Authority Ruling
Court rules Kari Lake was serving unlawfully and lacked power to execute layoffs.
Preliminary Injunction
Judge Lamberth temporarily blocks the plan to eliminate over 500 USAGM jobs.
Operations Cease
VOA operations effectively shut down following a presidential executive order.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth has ordered the immediate restoration of Voice of America operations, reversing a year-long shutdown that sidelined over 1,000 employees. The ruling mandates that the U.S. Agency for Global Media reinstate staff placed on administrative leave and submit a formal plan for resuming broadcasts within one week.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth has ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media to reinstate over 1,000 Voice of America employees sidelined by a Trump administration executive order. The ruling invalidates the year-long shutdown, citing a lack of legal authority and a failure to provide a principled basis for dismantling the broadcaster.