A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to stop its efforts to dismantle Voice of America (VOA) and other US-backed news outlets, including Radio Free Asia.
US District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the government had illegally forced VOA to cease operations for the first time since the broadcaster was set up during World War II.
The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) — which runs VOA — put nearly all 1,300 of the broadcaster's employees on administrative leave in March, while 500 contractors were informed that their contracts would be terminated at the end of last month.
This followed an executive order by US President Donald Trump on 14 March mandating that several federal entities, including USAGM, be "eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law". The White House accused the VOA, which was established to counter Nazi propaganda, of being "anti-Trump" and "radical".
In his ruling on Tuesday, Lamberth said the Trump administration must "take all necessary steps" to restore employees and contractors to their jobs and resume radio, TV and online broadcasts. He ordered the government to do the same for Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, which are also operated by USAGM.
The Trump administration had likely violated numerous federal laws, including the International Broadcasting Act and Congressional Appropriations Acts, Lamberth said.
The US government acted "without regard to the harm inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists, and media consumers around the world", he wrote in his ruling.
"It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the defendants' actions here," Lamberth wrote.
Lawyers representing VOA employees said the ruling was a victory for press freedom.
VOA journalist Patsy Widakuswara, who is named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the order was "just a small step forward, as the government is likely to appeal."
USAGM and the White House have not yet commented on the ruling.
Tom Yazdgerdi, president of the American Foreign Service Association, said that the news outlets were "trusted sources of truth in places where it is often scarce".
"By upholding editorial independence, the court has protected the credibility of USAGM journalists and the global mission they serve," he said in a statement.
