US court halts ruling ordering Voice of America employees back to work

Washington: A federal appeals court on Saturday blocked a ruling that had ordered the Trump administration to return more than 1,000 Voice of America employees back to work.

US District Judge Royce Lamberth on April 22 ordered the administration to "take all necessary steps" to restore employees and contractors to their positions at the US news service and resume radio, television and online news broadcasts and some grants.

The appeals court in a 2-1 decision suggested Lamberth lacked jurisdiction to order the employees to return to work and to require the restoration of $15 million in grants for Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

The US Agency for Global Media placed over 1,000 employees on leave and told 600 contractors they would be terminated after the agency abruptly shut down the broadcasts in March under a directive from Trump.

The appeals court noted the government did not challenge the aspect of Lamberth's ruling requiring it to restore Voice of America’s "statutorily required programming levels." Numerous reports on Friday said VOA was preparing to resume broadcasts next week. USAGM did not immediately comment Saturday.

US Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard dissented from the ruling, saying it "all but guarantees that the networks will no longer exist in any meaningful form by the time this case is fully adjudicated."

She added that it would result in "silencing Voice of America for the foreseeable future and eliminating Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks’ ability to see this case through to the end."

Under Trump's directive, Voice of America is not reporting the news for the first time in its 80-year existence. Its website has not been updated since March 15 and radio stations abroad relying on its programming have gone dark or only air music.

Congress made the broadcasts mandatory and did not allow the executive branch to unilaterally terminate or defund them, Lamberth ruled.

Trump advisor Kari Lake announced the shutdown on March 15, placing nearly all USAGM employees on leave, saying the agency was "irretrievably broken" and biased against Trump. She said on social media Saturday the decision was a "huge victory for us."