Zuckerman Spaeder Secures Ruling for Voice of America Declaring Dismantling Illegal

As many as 1000 employees of Voice of America (VOA) and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) will return to work following a ruling from U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth granting summary judgment and holding that the government’s actions to dismantle the agency were illegal.

Zuckerman Spaeder has represented Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, and two other VOA employees since it was effectively forced to shut down in March 2025. VOA is an international broadcaster funded by Congress that, before the shutdown, provided news and information in 49 languages to an estimated weekly audience of more than 354 million people. After the shutdown, VOA broadcast in only four languages. 

In granting summary judgment, Judge Lamberth accepted the arguments made by Zuckerman Spaeder that the government made a single, discrete, and final decision to slash the operations of VOA and its parent agency, USAGM. The court held that the decision violated the Administrative Procedure Act because it failed to account for VOA’s statutory broadcasting obligations and was arbitrary and capricious.

 “We’re pleased this ruling enables VOA to continue its vital mission of providing independent, reliable news to audiences worldwide,” said Zuckerman Spaeder partner William B. Schultz.

Judge Lamberth ordered VOA employees to be permitted to return to work on March 23.

In addition to Mr. Schultz, the Zuckerman Spaeder team includes Brian Beaton and Jacobus van der Ven. The ruling was in Abramowitz v. Lake and Widakuswara v. Lake, represented by separate counsel.