A federal district court issued a temporary restraining order on Friday preventing the Administration from dismantling Voice of America pending further litigation.
The ruling in Widakuswara v. Lake means that the Administration cannot terminate employees or contracts while the case moves forward. (The full docket in the case is here.)
The ruling is notable for rejecting the Administration's claims that retaining the skeletal staff required by statute, re-starting programming in Cuba, and making only cuts "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law" mean that its actions were lawful. The Administration has used similar claims to defend other lawsuits challenging its dismantling of other agencies.
On the merits, the court ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claims that the dismantling was arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, because "[d]efendants failed to provide such reasoned analysis" for their actions. The court also ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their Take Care Clause claim, because "[w]ithholding congressionally appropriated funds, and effectively shuttering a congressionally created agency simply cannot be construed as following through on this constitutional mandate." Similarly, the court said that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their separation-of-powers claim, because "[b]y withholding the funds statutorily appropriated to fully administer, USAGM, VOA, and its affiliates, the executive is usurping Congress's power of the purse and its legislative supremacy."
The court did not address any First Amendment issues or Appointment Clause issues (challenging Kari Lake's role), both of which were included in the plaintiffs' complaint.