US judge blocks Trump's firing of Voice of America staff

A US judge on Friday blocked efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to shut down Voice of America (VOA), a US-funded international news service.

The court called the move a "classic case of arbitrary and capricious decision making."

In his order, Judge James Paul Oetken did not direct the resumption of broadcasts. However, it clearly stopped the Trump administration from firing more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff who were abruptly placed on leave earlier this month.

Oetken's order barred the the US Agency for Global Media — which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe, and other government-funded media — from "any further attempt to terminate, reduce-in-force, place on leave, or furlough" employees or contractors.

It also barred the agency from shutting down any offices or directing the overseas employees to return to the US.

The case was filed by VOA employees, their unions and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who alleged the closure violated the workers' constitutional First Amendment right to free speech.

Plaintiffs welcome court order

"This is a decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment, and a sharp rebuke" to the Trump administration's "utter disregard for the principles that define our democracy," the plaintiffs' lawyer Andrew G. Celli Jr said.

"We're very pleased that the judge agreed to freeze any further action by the government to dismantle Voice of America," Clayton Weimers, the executive director of RSF USA, said.

"We urge the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for VOA immediately and reinstate its employees without further delay," Weimers added.

Edited by: John Silk