Federal Judge Voids Kari Lake’s 2025 Actions Running Voice of America Agency

A federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, had no legal authority to take the actions she used to largely dismantle the Voice of America, according to CBS News, NPR and NBC News, which carried Reuters reporting.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, wrote that “Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution,” per CBS News and NPR. Reuters, via NBC News, reported that he granted summary judgment to plaintiffs who argued her appointment as acting chief executive violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. Lamberth found she was ineligible because she was not employed by the agency when former CEO Amanda Bennett resigned in January 2025 and had not been confirmed by the Senate to any other post, Reuters reported. He also rejected the administration’s argument that Lake could exercise CEO authority through a delegation from a previous acting chief, Victor Morales.

The ruling covers the period from July 31, 2025, when Lake took the CEO role, until Nov. 19, 2025, when she moved to a senior adviser role, CBS News reported. NPR said Lamberth declared all of her actions over the past year null and void, including what it counted as layoffs of more than 1,000 journalists and staff at the agency and Voice of America; CBS News and Reuters described the affected cuts as hundreds of employees, so the figure is disputed. CBS News noted that the decision’s effect on VOA operations was not immediately clear. The network is operating with a skeleton staff in a handful of languages after contracts were terminated and most employees laid off, CBS News reported.

NPR listed other steps taken under Lake that the ruling could put in question: dismissing contractors, firing the Voice of America’s director, striking a deal to carry content from One America News Network, withholding money from sister networks such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, and ending a lease for a new headquarters. Those networks are in separate litigation, NPR said. Reuters reported that it was at least the third time Lamberth has ruled against the administration in cases over the agency.

Lake rejected the decision. In a statement to CBS News and NPR she said: “The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government. An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM.” She said the administration would appeal. The administration has argued in court, according to NPR, that Congress had no role to play in the agency’s future, a position Lamberth has found unconvincing.

The plaintiffs were Patsy Widakuswara, Voice of America’s White House bureau chief, and colleagues Kate Neeper and Jessica Jerreat, who were among those laid off, according to CBS News. “We feel vindicated and deeply grateful,” they said in a statement, adding that they were still working out what the ruling means for colleagues whose careers are in limbo. Supporters of the network call it an example of U.S. soft power that offers unbiased news to countries where governments control information, CBS News reported, while Lake has contended that the government-run outlets are wasteful and should promote the administration’s views.