Judge rules Kari Lake lacked authority in VOA shakeup
A federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake—President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media—did not have legal authority to take actions that largely dismantled the Voice of America, raising new questions about how the administration can restructure U.S. government-supported international broadcasting without Senate confirmation. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said the effect on VOA operations was not immediately clear.
Lake responded by calling the ruling “bogus” and saying it would be appealed. In a statement posted on X, she argued that the American people gave Trump a mandate to cut “bloated bureaucracy,” eliminate waste, and restore accountability at USAGM, and she said an “activist judge” was trying to block those efforts.
The VOA dispute centers on Lake’s actions after she was selected to lead the agency that oversees Voice of America and other international broadcasting services. The report said VOA has been operating with a skeleton staff in only a handful of languages after Lake terminated contracts and laid off most of its employees.
Lamberth ruled that Lake had not received Senate confirmation for her role and that she therefore did not have authority to act in the capacity at issue. In his written ruling, Lamberth said, “Only the Appointments Clause or the Vacancies Act’s exclusive structure may authorize service as a principal officer, and Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution.”
The decision followed a lawsuit filed by VOA journalists including Patsy Widakuswara, Voice of America’s White House bureau chief, along with Kate Neeper and Jessica Jerreat. The journalists said they were among those laid off by Lake and that they had been challenging the agency actions.
In a statement, the reporters said they felt “vindicated and deeply grateful,” describing the ruling as “a powerful step toward undoing the damage she has inflicted on this American institution that we love.” They said they were still trying to determine what the court’s ruling effectively means for colleagues whose careers have been in limbo.
The dispute also drew support from press-freedom advocates. Reporters Without Borders said Lamberth’s decision affirmed what it believed—that the administration acted unlawfully to gut the VOA—and added that more work remained to ensure VOA journalists could return to their jobs. Clayton Weimers, executive director of the group’s North American branch, said, “This case is proof that fighting for press freedom matters.”