Judge Halts Trump Administration Efforts to Dismantle Voice of America

U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the government likely violated the law in its rush to dismantle federally affiliated media groups.

The Voice of America building in Washington on March 16, 2025. Annabelle Gordon/File Photo/Reuters

A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to reverse its efforts to shut down Voice of America (VOA) and restore the decades-old federal news service.

In an opinion delivered on April 22, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Royce Lamberth sided with plaintiffs suing the administration and U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) management, saying that they had likely violated the law in the rush to dismantle VOA and other federally affiliated media groups in line with a March 14 executive order.