The Trump administration says it has recovered funds for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Open Technology Fund after the group sued.
The US Global Media Agency (USAGM) cut off funding as part of the administration's broader efforts to remove government agencies.
The Justice Department said the group's request for an injunction is effectively controversial with him as the government recovered funds.
“The plaintiff has secured the withdrawal of the termination of the main relief-grant agreement that he requested in the complaint. Now that the plaintiff has received the relief, the defendant's position now is that this issue is controversial,” the Justice Department wrote Thursday in the Public Technology Fund case.
The filing landed just before a scheduled hearing on Thursday morning of US District Judge Lois Lambers about whether to order government financial support for government programs to be restored. After getting on the bench, the judge immediately postponed the process as a result of the development.
The fund is one of several programs funded by USAGM, which advocated global internet freedom and supports technology to counter censorship, with Arizona Republican governor and Senate candidate Kari Lake currently serving as special advisor.
Patrick Dorgerty, a lawyer representing the Technology Fund, said the group will withdraw their motion once the administration follows its commitment.
Justice Department lawyer Abigail Stout said the government “cannot guarantee when it applies to a bank account.”
The judge will hold a hearing Monday afternoon if the contract breaks down.
The change in the lawsuit also showed that the USAGM had similarly reopened funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and that it issued content in 27 languages in 23 countries in Europe and Asia, suing after the funds were frozen.
On Tuesday, Lamberth was on his side with radio stations by issuing an order that the administration would restore funds. Lamberth is the appointee of former President Reagan.
The administration's efforts to sabotage the US voice remain caught up in two ongoing legal challenges.
