A US federal judge has ordered the parent agency of Voice of America to reinstate the network’s 1,042 employees who were placed on furlough by Monday.
U.S. District Judge Rice C. Lambert ruled Tuesday that Karai Leak violated the law. He also ruled that Karai Leak failed to consider the intent of Congress, which funds the agency and the network, or the impact of effectively shutting it down.
“We are thrilled with Judge Lambert’s ruling and look forward to getting back to work,” said Michael Abramowitz, director of Voice of America, after the ruling. During Karai Leak’s tenure, the agency tried to move Abramowitz to a small shortwave radio facility in North Carolina and then threatened to fire him if he refused. Abramowitz is among those whose positions will be reinstated if the Lambert ruling is upheld. Karai Leak or a spokesman for the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the past, Leake had appealed Lambert’s rulings and accused the judge of legislating from the bench. Voice of America was founded at the beginning of World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, and it reported on Allied defeats and victories to maintain credibility.
After the war, during the Cold War, the United States expanded Voice of America as a soft power to deliver news to countries where independent press blocs were threatened or financially unviable. It also offered a model of journalism in a multi-party democracy, including unpopular news and dissent. The decision is a major setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to limit Voice of America to a minimum.
It should be noted that this court decision has paved the way for the network’s permanent employees to return to work, who were being paid salaries and benefits for the past year while sitting at home.
But there is no way for contract employees, whose contracts were terminated along with the decision to leave the company and were sent home without being paid salaries or given any benefits, to return to their jobs.
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