A federal judge has stated that US President Donald Trump illegally halted the operation of the Voice of America (VOA), a federally funded international news service created by Congress.
US District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore the 83-year-old broadcaster's capacity to levels prior to Trump's funding cuts and personnel layoffs in a ruling on Tuesday. VOA's lawyers stated in a March court filing that the broadcaster strives to report the news "truthfully, impartially, and objectively," responding to claims from the Trump administration that it promotes a "leftist bias" and is not sufficiently "pro-American." Judge Lamberth also ordered the administration to restore the capacity of two other broadcasters also funded by the federal Agency for Global Media, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, while those lawsuits progress.
The judge also denied a similar request for two additional networks, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Open Technology Fund.
