US court ruling throws VOA return into flux

A US appellate court on Saturday ruled against allowing Voice of America (VOA) staff to return to work, throwing its resumption of operations into question after President Donald Trump shuttered the broadcaster in March.

VOA, a US government-run news service for international audiences, has been off the air since Trump ordered the dismantling of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees VOA and other broadcasters including Radio Free Asia and distributes federal funding for their operations.

Two Trump-appointed judges, Neomi Rao and Gregory Katsas, wrote in their ruling the lower court "likely lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over USAGM's personnel actions."

A third judge, Cornelia Pillard, appointed by former president Barack Obama, dissented. The ruling throws plans for VOA employees to return to work into disarray, with several indicators emerging prior to Saturday's court ruling.

"A Justice Department attorney has sent an email to our lawyer, David Seide, informing him that USAGM expects VOA staff to begin a 'phased return' to work and programming to resume next week," the service's chief national correspondent Steve Herman posted on social media platform X.