A US judge has prohibited the Trump administration from shutting down Voice of America (VOA), a US-funded international news service, in a ruling described as a “classic case of arbitrary and capricious decision making.” Jens Oetken, the judge, did not order broadcasts to resume, but his decision prevents the firing of more than 1,200 VOA employees who were abruptly placed on leave earlier in the month. The the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and other government-funded media organizations, is now restricted from terminating, reducing the workforce, putting employees on leave, or furloughing employees. The lawsuit against the Trump administration was filed by VOA employees, their unions, and Reporters Without Borders, who alleged that the closure violated the workers’ constitutional First Amendment right to free speech. The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Andrew G. Celli Jr., hailed the decision as “decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment,” and called on the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for VOA and reinstate its employees without delay.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/us-judge-blocks-trump-s-firing-of-voice-of-america-staff/a-72080206?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf