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Amid a major legal victory over the Trump administration, the U.S. DC Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has granted them staying in a lower court order that required more than 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees to reinstate their full broadcasting duties.
“This is a big victory for President Trump and his Article 2 authority recognized by the US Constitution, and for the US institutions for the US Global Media (USAGM) and VOA,” Kari Lake, senior USAGM adviser to the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital following a court decision on Saturday.
This decision will allow the administration to advance efforts to restructure USAGM and its associated broadcasting stations.
“We want to achieve President Trump’s first American agenda, which was to constantly modernize and make government efficient while reducing waste, fraud and abuse,” Lake explained to Fox News Digital.
American voices restored by a judge after Trump demolished a taxpayer-funded outlet in March
The executive order has resulted in the management leave of voices and numerous contract terminations of approximately 1,300 American employees (Jonathan Raa/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
“Now we are receiving a favorable ruling in the Court of Appeals, so we look forward to achieving the plans we have always had. We look forward to bringing the VOA into the 21st century.”
The Court of Appeal’s decision on Saturday emphasized the judicial respect for jurisdiction in matters relating to federal employment and contractual decisions.
The court said the district court likely has no jurisdiction to interfere with the administration’s personnel litigation and financing decisions, particularly with regard to grant agreements with non-federal agencies such as Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Network.
Voice of America employees file lawsuit against the Trump administration after the president dismantles the agency
Voice of America (VOA) News Service Center in Washington, DC (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu by Getty Images)
This follows Trump’s March 14th Executive Order (EO) aimed at dismantling the operations of USAGM.
“Voice of America has been stepping off from the US for years. It serves as a radical American voice and has pushed divisive propaganda for years,” a White House official told Fox News Digital at the time.
The order led to the termination of administrative leave for around 1,300 VOA employees and numerous contracts, effectively suspending the station’s activities for the first time in its 83-year history.
“Unfortunately, the frivolous lawsuit has actually stopped VOA’s ability to streamline archaic practices and redundant programs,” Lake told Fox News Digital. “Using the law hurts agents and their employees more than it helped.”
Jonathan Turley, a contributor to Fox News, law analyst and constitutional law professor, shared the news of the X ruling, saying, “D.C. Circuit has announced a major ruling in favour of the Trump administration, which will lift the administration’s decision to terminate its contract and position at Voice of America.”
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Saturday’s decision was reportedly restored to their computers as VOA employees reportedly accessed the computer on Friday, and federal judge Lois Lambers’ April 22 ruling was reportedly restored to their computers after the administration supported the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction against Trump’s EO, which the administration sued immediately.
The court’s decision can be read here.
Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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