Kari Lake was hired by President Donald Trump to oversee layoffs at the US Agency for Global Media
JOE RAEDLEA US federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to bring more than 1,000 Voice of America employees back to work and resume broadcasts by the government-funded media outlet.
District Judge Royce Lamberth's order comes 10 days after he ruled that President Donald Trump's pick to oversee mass layoffs at VOA was unlawfully appointed, rendering the job cuts invalid.
Kari Lake, a former TV anchor, slashed jobs and funding after she was appointed by Trump to head the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which runs VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia and other stations.
Lamberth, an appointee of Republican president Ronald Reagan, ordered the reinstatement by March 23 of 1,042 VOA employees who have been on paid administrative leave for the past year.
The judge also ordered USAGM to come up with a plan by next week to resume international broadcasts.
VOA was created in the wake of World War II as a key instrument of American soft power worldwide.
Trump frequently attacks media outlets and denounced the editorial firewall at VOA that prevents the government from intervening in its coverage.
Three VOA employees who filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse Lake's moves welcomed the judge's ruling.
"We are eager to begin repairing the damage Kari Lake has inflicted on our agency and our colleagues, to return to our congressional mandate, and to rebuild the trust of the global audience we have been unable to serve for the past year," they said in a statement.
The Trump administration has said it plans to appeal the judge's previous ruling that Lake's appointment was unlawful.
cl/mlm
Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published.
Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today!
Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices.
Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News
Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections.
Receive weekly updates on local sports news.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented