Press Release
March 28, 2025
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Today, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), its Acting Director Victor Morales, and Special Adviser Kari Lake, temporarily halting the far-reaching layoffs of Voice of America’s (VOA) civil servants. On March 15, 2025, hundreds of workers were suspended indefinitely, were effectively locked out of their offices, and expected to be terminated. The TRO orders a halt to the termination process, pending further proceedings.
The plaintiffs include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the NewsGuild-CWA, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and seven individual workers. VOA White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara is the lead plaintiff.
This decision comes one week after a coalition made up of journalists, editors, employees unions, and free press advocacy organizations sued USAGM, Morales, and Lake, seeking the employees’ reinstatement. New York City law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP represents 11 of the 12 plaintiffs. AFGE, AFSCME, NewsGuild-CWA, and AFSA are represented by Democracy Forward and their respective in-house legal departments. State Democracy Defenders Fund represents Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), Reporters Without Borders (RSF USA), AFGE, and AFSCME.
“We’re very pleased that the judge agreed to freeze any further action by the government to dismantle Voice of America. The fight to save VOA — and, indeed, the free press — continues, as the Trump administration works to deprive the world of a reliable source of information. We urge the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for VOA immediately and reinstate its employees without further delay,” said Clayton Weimers, Executive Director, RSF USA.
“Today’s decision is a welcome, and necessary, first step toward correcting the injustices faced by the workers, reporters, and listeners of Voice of America,” said Norm Eisen, the co-founder and executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund. “This court ruling halts the unjust termination process that threatened the livelihoods and rights of so many dedicated civil servants. It is an honor to represent such a resilient coalition and support the cause of a free and fair press.”
The temporary restraining order can be viewed HERE.
State Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state, and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.