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Eugene

(64,500 posts) Tue Apr 22, 2025, 10:18 PM Tuesday

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge agreed Tuesday to block the Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America, the 83-year-old international news service created by Congress.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the administration illegally required Voice of America to cease operations for the first time since its World War II-era inception.

Attorneys for Voice of America employees and contractors asked the judge to restore its ability to broadcast at the same level before President Donald Trump moved to slash its funding. Lamberth mostly agreed, ordering the administration to restore Voice of America and two of the independent broadcast networks operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media — Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks — until the lawsuits are settled.

The judge denied the request for two other independent networks, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Open Technology Fund.

-snip-

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and REBECCA BOONE
Updated 4:58 PM EDT, April 22, 2025

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/voice-of-america-trump-f30c48df0c16de622ec5fd99ee6c627c

Source: The Wrap

Voice of America Ordered to Be Restored After Judge Blocks Trump’s Cuts

A federal judge says the president’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for Global Media were a “straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions”

Sean Burch
April 22, 2025 @ 3:18 PM

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump Administration’s push to cut Voice of America and other government-funded news services.

Judge Royce Lamberth said the Trump Administration had “no method or approach” to shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the VOA’s parent agency; he ordered the USAGM to restore employment to hundreds of staffers who had been placed on leave and to continue operating as before.

“It is hard to fathom a more straightforward display of arbitrary and capricious actions than the Defendants’ actions here,” the judge said on Tuesday.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.thewrap.com/voice-of-america-restored-judge-blocks-trump/

4 replies

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Highlight:

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from dismantling Voice of America (Original Post) Eugene Tuesday OP

Arbitrary AND Capricious BOSSHOG Tuesday #1

"an affront to the power of the legislative branch." pat_k Tuesday #2

Seems clear to me. TomSlick Tuesday #3

A friend of mine praised Voice of America Janbdwl72 Yesterday #4

BOSSHOG

(42,130 posts)

1. Arbitrary AND Capricious

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Apr 22, 2025, 10:23 PM

Tuesday

That’s ole Don, fucking old school nut job. If ya tell the truth I’ll be arbitrary and capricious and be hateful to you. Then I’ll win a golf trophy. Then I’ll lie so much that people who voted for me won’t know what the truth is or what I’m doing. Did I say I love stupid people?

pat_k

(11,156 posts)

2. "an affront to the power of the legislative branch."

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Apr 22, 2025, 10:42 PM

Tuesday

https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-blocks-trumps-silencing-of-voice-of-america/

"The defendants are likely in violation of numerous federal laws,” Lamberth wrote. “For one VOA’s congressionally established charter in the International Broadcasting Act states that VOA ‘will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news [that is] accurate, objective and comprehensive,’ but the defendants have silenced VOA for the first time ever.”
...
Senior U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said the Trump administration's effort to halt congressional funding to the independent media outlet "is an affront to the power of the legislative branch." ...

And from the intro https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv1015-98

The plaintiffs allege that USAGM’s actions,
purportedly in furtherance of the Executive Order—terminating and threatening to terminate the majority of USAGM staff, ending grants to its affiliates, and silencing programming—violate the First Amendment, constitutional separation of powers principles, the Take Care Clause, and statutory provisions including the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), International Broadcasting Act, and congressional appropriations acts. Broadly,the plaintiffs ask this Court to order the defendants to take all necessary steps to return USAGM and its employees, contractors, and grantees to their status prior to the March 14, 2025 Executive Order.

For the reasons contained herein, the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction will be
GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. The Court will GRANT the Motion as it applies
to the defendants’ actions to shutter the USAGM entities Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The Court will DENY the Motion as to the other affiliated network entities.

TomSlick

(12,341 posts)

3. Seems clear to me.

Reply to pat_k (Reply #2)

Tue Apr 22, 2025, 11:13 PM

Tuesday

Janbdwl72

(177 posts)

4. A friend of mine praised Voice of America

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Wed Apr 23, 2025, 12:49 AM

Yesterday

He served in the Peace Corps many years ago. He believes and I agree, that this is a very important service for this country to provide since it keeps many Americans informed, whether they are stationed overseas or residing in the U.S.A.

It is a bit ironic that initially the Retaliator-in-Chief intended to appoint the two-time Arizona loser (for both Governor and the Senate) to head this, since she (Ms. Lake?) was a former broadcaster. I am not sure what happened with that. If she does wind up in charge of VOA, I think it can survive her conspiracy theory tendencies and then return to normal once a real President returns to office.

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