Filed Date: March 23, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On March 23, 2026, four individual journalists and three press freedom organizations filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that the Trump Administration systematically violated the statutory "Firewall" designed to protect Voice of America's (VOA) editorial independence. The defendants named in the suit are the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), USAGM's Acting CEO, and Kari Lake in her official capacity as a federal employee. According to the complaint, the defendants censored VOA coverage of events they considered unfavorable, particularly regarding Iranian protests and opposition figures, forced publication of White House talking points as "news," and replaced independent journalism with propaganda. The alleged censorship specifically included suppressing coverage of Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi, muting protest chants supporting the monarchy, and publishing pro-Trump articles with imagery resembling propaganda from authoritarian regimes. The plaintiffs brought their claims under the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), the Declaratory Judgment Act (28 U.S.C. §§ 2201, 2202), the Mandamus Act (28 U.S.C. § 1361), and the All Writs Act (28 U.S.C. § 1651). They seek various forms of relief, including permanent injunctive relief, declaratory judgments, mandamus relief, nominal damages, and attorneys' fees
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (3/23/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/parties/newhouse-v-us-agency-for-global-media/
Eisen, Norman Larry (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72528662/newhouse-v-us-agency-for-global-media/
Last updated March 26, 2026, 3:07 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 23, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Individual plaintiffs are: (1) the Acting Director of the VOA Central News Division, (2) the director of VOA’s South & Central Asia Division, and (3)/(4) VOA journalists. Organizational plaintiffs are: (1) PEN America, an association of writers and other literary and media professionals, (2) Reporters Without Borders, Inc., the U.S. affiliate of (3) Reporters Sans Frontières, an international non-profit and NGO that focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Non-profit NON-religious organization
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
U.S. Agency for Global Media
Private Entity/Person
Acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-00980
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Case Summary of Widakuswara v. Lake, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47954/ (last updated 3/23/2026).