Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty v. Lake
Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Date Filed: March 28, 2025
Background: On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order gutting the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federally funded agency that oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other overseas broadcasters. The order stated that USAGM, which was created by Congress, “shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Trump administration officials justified the funding cuts by pointing to disagreements with the networks’ content, which, by statute, is produced independent of political interference.
RFE/RL sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction blocking the funding cuts from taking effect. Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the temporary restraining order, saying that the administration cannot unilaterally shut down the international broadcaster.
The district court has yet to decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction.
Our Position: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, joined by the Committee to Protect Journalists, filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the district court to block the Trump administration from withholding funding from RFE/RL and other USAGM networks.
- The editorial independence of USAGM networks is essential to their credibility, their mission, and the safety of their reporters.
- Allowing the Trump administration to withhold USAGM networks’ funding unilaterally would permanently destroy the independence that makes them effective.
From the Brief: “If not stopped here, the Administration’s unilateral funding freeze will put the entire model of federally funded networks at risk, not just today but well into the future. And it will risk, too, the safety of reporters who have committed their careers to producing credible journalism under exceptionally challenging and dangerous conditions.”
Related: The Reporters Committee, joined by CPJ, filed similar friend-of-the-court briefs in four related cases — Widakuswara v. Lake, Abramowitz v. Lake, Radio Free Asia v. United States, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. v. United States — urging federal district courts to prevent the shuttering of USAGM networks.
Previously, the Reporters Committee joined a coalition of press freedom and journalism groups led by CPJ in calling on the United States to protect reporters and media workers employed by USAGM, noting in a letter that many of them “face significant personal risk in reporting on and from highly repressive regimes.” The letter added: “Eliminating these organizations is a significant blow to press freedom — and a gift to autocrats worldwide.”
Updates:
- On April 22, 2025, Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia blocked the Trump administration from shutting down Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, finding that the government’s efforts to cut funding and remove staff likely violated several laws and the Constitution. The judge declined to grant similar relief to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty because the outlet is still negotiating an agreement with the Trump administration.