U.S. DISTRICT COURT DECISION: Widakuswara, et al. v. Kari Lake, et al. (D.C. Circuit Court, No. 15-5144) (Order Granting Government’s Request for Stay Pending Appeal)

Excerpt:  “The government is likely to succeed on the merits because the district court likely lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to enjoin [U.S. Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM’s)] personnel actions and to compel the agency to restore [Radio Free Asia’s (RFA’s)] and [Middle East Broadcasting Network’s (MBN’s)] FY 2025 grants.”

Excerpt (Dissent):  “Defendants are unlikely to succeed on the merits: They have not persuasively established that the district court lacked authority to enter the preliminary injunction. Meanwhile, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks face severe and irreparable harm absent injunctive relief. Voice of America has gone dark for the first time since 1942. Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks face imminent collapse if they do not receive the funding Congress directed to each of them by name. The purpose of a stay pending appeal is to maintain the status quo until a case can be fully adjudicated on its merits. This stay does the opposite, silencing Voice of America for the foreseeable future and eliminating Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks’ ability to see this case through to the end.”