XPost: alt.government.employees, alt.politics.republicans, sac.politics
XPost: talk.politics.guns
WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Saturday
blocked a ruling, opens new tab that had ordered the Trump
administration to return more than 1,000 Voice of America employees back
to work.
U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.
U.S. 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."
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-court-halts-ruling-ordering-voice-americ a-employees-back-work-2025-05-03/
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