A U.S. judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down Voice of America, preventing mass layoffs and ruling it violated press freedom.

A U.S. judge on Friday blocked efforts by President Donald Trump's administration to shut down Voice of America (VOA), a U.S.-funded international news service.

The court described the move as a "classic case of arbitrary and capricious decision making."

In his ruling, Judge James Paul Oetken did not explicitly order the resumption of broadcasts. However, the decision effectively prevented the Trump administration from dismissing over 1,200 journalists, engineers, and other staff members who had been abruptly placed on leave earlier this month.

Oetken's order prohibited the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe, and other government-funded media outlets, from engaging in "any further attempt to terminate, reduce-in-force, place on leave, or furlough" employees or contractors.

Additionally, the ruling barred the agency from shutting down any offices or ordering overseas employees to return to the U.S.

The lawsuit was brought by VOA employees, their unions, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who argued that the closure violated the workers' constitutional First Amendment right to free speech.

"This is a decisive victory for press freedom and the First Amendment, and a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration's utter disregard for the principles that define our democracy," said Andrew G. Celli Jr., the plaintiffs' lawyer.

Clayton Weimers, the executive director of RSF USA, also welcomed the decision. "We're very pleased that the judge agreed to freeze any further action by the government to dismantle Voice of America," he said.

"We urge the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for VOA immediately and reinstate its employees without further delay," Weimers added.