Federal judge orders Trump Administration to rehire 1,000 Voice of America employees

(NBC, KYMA) - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) must reverse its decision that put more than 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees on leave.

The same judge recently said the appointment of Kari Lake, who oversaw the job cuts as head of USAGM, violated federal law which threatened the validity of the actions she took in the role.

VOA has been limited to broadcasting in just four languages amid the Trump Administration's cuts, a sharp drop from the 49 languages it previously broadcast to across more than 100 countries.

VOA has transmitted news coverage to countries around the world since its formation in World War II.

Last week, President Donald Trump nominated Sarah Rogers, the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, to replace Lake as head of USAGM.