Latest news with #RoyceLamberth
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Judge criticizes Trump administration in VOA funding dispute
A federal judge is asking the Trump administration to explain why it has not restored operations at Voice of America (VOA) as the president looks to dismantle the English-language broadcaster. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Wednesday court filings requested the administration provide an explanation by Aug. 13, saying its leaders need to show what it is doing with the $260 million Congress appropriated for VOA's operations this year. Kari Lake, the a top adviser at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and an ally of President Trump, announced in June that hundreds of employees at VOA would be laid off as the broadcaster as largely gone dark since. Lake called the move at the time 'long overdue' and earlier this year testified before Congress about efforts to scale back the outlet, which she and critics of the outlet say is 'bloated' and not in line with the Trump administration's objectives. 'Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,' Lamberth wrote.
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Judge Excoriates Trump Officials for Violations of Laws on Voice of America
A federal judge said Wednesday that it was likely that the Trump administration had violated his April order mandating a restoration of news programming at Voice of America, a federally funded news organization that provided independent reporting to countries with limited press freedom. The judge, Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, excoriated Trump officials for failing to show that they had been abiding by his ruling and ordered the government to produce detailed evidence that it was doing so, saying Voice of America was required by law to continue broadcasting news. 'The Court concludes that judicial intervention is needed to ensure the defendants' compliance with the preliminary injunction,' Judge Lamberth wrote, referring to his April order that the news group resume broadcasting so that Voice of America 'fulfills its statutory mandate.' The judge added that Trump officials 'appear to be violating numerous statutory provisions' and have been 'providing misleading and contradictory information.' He said the government had provided the court with seemingly conflicting information about one of Voice of America's radio transmitting stations, accusing it of 'flip-flopping' in 'sworn declarations.' The administration has shut down nearly all news programming at Voice of America and put most employees on paid leave since March, when President Trump signed an executive order that effectively called for its dismantling. In April, Judge Lamberth ordered the Trump administration to restore news programming and bring back reporters, editors and support staff members at Voice of America. After the government appealed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily reversed Judge Lamberth's order on hiring decisions while it reviewed the case but left in place his ruling on Voice of America's continued news programming. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn't followed
A federal judge on Wednesday essentially accused the Trump administration of ignoring his orders to restore Voice of America's operations and explain clearly what it is doing with the government-run operation that provides news to other countries. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia gave the administration until Aug. 13 to explain how it will get VOA working again. The outlet that dates back to World War II has been largely dark since March. Lamberth said the administration needs to show what it is doing with the $260 million Congress appropriated for VOA's operations this year. Kari Lake, the adviser appointed by Trump to run the government news agencies, said in June that 85% of employees at VOA and its overseers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media had lost their jobs. She called it a 'long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.' Lamberth said there's a process for eliminating funding that had previously been appropriated — Congress must vote on it, as it recently did for NPR and PBS funding. But that hasn't happened here, he said. He scolded the administration for providing 'cagey answers' and omitting key information when asked for it in previous court orders. 'Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,' Lamberth wrote. 'The legal term for that is 'waste.'' There was no immediate comment from the White House. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and David Bauder, The Associated Press
Associated Press
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn't followed
A federal judge on Wednesday essentially accused the Trump administration of ignoring his orders to restore Voice of America's operations and explain clearly what it is doing with the government-run operation that provides news to other countries. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia gave the administration until Aug. 13 to explain how it will get VOA working again. The outlet that dates back to World War II has been largely dark since March. Lamberth said the administration needs to show what it is doing with the $260 million Congress appropriated for VOA's operations this year. Kari Lake, the adviser appointed by Trump to run the government news agencies, said in June that 85% of employees at VOA and its overseers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media had lost their jobs. She called it a 'long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.' Lamberth said there's a process for eliminating funding that had previously been appropriated — Congress must vote on it, as it recently did for NPR and PBS funding. But that hasn't happened here, he said. He scolded the administration for providing 'cagey answers' and omitting key information when asked for it in previous court orders. 'Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,' Lamberth wrote. 'The legal term for that is 'waste.'' There was no immediate comment from the White House. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and
Washington Post
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn't followed
A federal judge on Wednesday essentially accused the Trump administration of ignoring his orders to restore Voice of America's operations and explain clearly what it is doing with the government-run operation that provides news to other countries. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia gave the administration until Aug. 13 to explain how it will get VOA working again. The outlet that dates back to World War II has been largely dark since March. Lamberth said the administration needs to show what it is doing with the $260 million Congress appropriated for VOA's operations this year. Kari Lake, the adviser appointed by Trump to run the government news agencies, said in June that 85% of employees at VOA and its overseers at the U.S. Agency for Global Media had lost their jobs. She called it a 'long overdue effort to dismantle a bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy.' Lamberth said there's a process for eliminating funding that had previously been appropriated — Congress must vote on it, as it recently did for NPR and PBS funding. But that hasn't happened here, he said. He scolded the administration for providing 'cagey answers' and omitting key information when asked for it in previous court orders. 'Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,' Lamberth wrote. 'The legal term for that is 'waste.'' There was no immediate comment from the White House. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and .
