Republican appointee rules attempts to shutter federal agency are illegal and mandates workers return by 23 MarchA Republican-appointed federal judge has ordered that more than 1,000 Voice of America (VOA) employees be reinstated after a Trump administration order effectively dismantled the radio ne twork, triggering mass layoffs.In two separate rulings made Tuesday, the US district judge Royce Lamberth said that attempts to shut down operations of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent federal agency that oversees VOA, are illegal and mandated that employees return to work by 23 March. Continue reading... ...read more read less