Federal Judge Nullifies Kari Lake's Actions at U.S. Agency for Global Media, Orders Staff Reinstatement

Federal Judge Nullifies All Actions by Kari Lake at USAGM, Mandates Reinstatement of 1,000+ Employees

A federal judge has ruled that Kari Lake acted unlawfully while leading the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA), declaring all of her actions over the past year null and void. The ruling mandates the reinstatement of over 1,000 full-time employees and requires USAGM to submit a plan to restore VOA broadcasts.

Background of USAGM and Voice of America

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) is the parent agency of Voice of America (VOA), an international broadcasting network. VOA was established during World War II to provide factual news and counter propaganda, aiming to model U.S.-style journalism and maintain editorial independence. Historically, VOA reached hundreds of millions of people weekly through 49 different language services.

Federal law requires the USAGM chief executive to respect a "firewall" intended to shield editorial decisions from political influence.

Kari Lake's Appointment and Authority Challenges

Kari Lake, a former political candidate, was installed atop USAGM by former President Trump. Her legal authority to lead the agency has been consistently challenged in court. The Trump administration had dismissed the Senate-confirmed board responsible for appointing the agency's chief executive and subsequently issued an executive order to reduce the agency.

Lake was named senior advisor and later deputy CEO at USAGM. However, her eligibility for acting CEO remained unclear, and the White House did not formally announce such an appointment. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth had previously questioned Lake's honesty and the administration's legal defenses in cases challenging her actions.

Actions Taken Under Lake's Tenure

During her tenure, Lake implemented significant changes at USAGM and VOA, impacting operations and staff:

• Partisan Broadcasts: She used VOA's Persian-language service for an interview where she praised former President Trump's actions toward Iran, referred to him as "the president of peace," and criticized judges. This segment was also broadcast on VOA's Chinese-language service. Lake stated that VOA's mission included sharing statements from President Trump and the Iranian people's support for him.
• Staff Reductions: Over 1,000 permanent network and agency full-time staffers were laid off, and numerous contractors were dismissed.
• Service Cuts: VOA's 49 language services were reduced to six.
• Contract Terminations: Contracts with major news agencies Associated Press and Reuters were terminated.
• New Content Deals: A deal was initiated for VOA to carry content from One America News Network, though this content has not been broadcast.
• Funding Withholding: Funds were withheld from sister networks such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia.
• Operational Changes: Lake canceled a lease for a new headquarters.
• Interference Allegations: Lake reportedly prevented Radio Farda, RFE/RL's Persian-language service, from using shortwave and mediumwave radio transmitters during an internet blackout in Iran, despite appeals, referring to Radio Farda as a "propaganda site."

Concerns were raised by current and former VOA journalists and USAGM officials, who stated that Lake's appearance in a partisan role was unprecedented and disregarded the editorial firewall. Lake's actions led to accusations that VOA was becoming a platform for pro-Trump content.

Lake appointed Ali Javanmardi, a former VOA journalist, to run the Persian-language service. Javanmardi reportedly praised Trump on air and discouraged booking guests critical of Trump. Questions were raised about Javanmardi's legal authority to direct news coverage, as he was reportedly a USAGM employee, not VOA, which raised similar firewall concerns.

Legal Challenges and Judge's Rulings

Multiple lawsuits were filed against Lake and USAGM by VOA journalists including Patsy Widakuswara, Jessica Jerreat, Kate Neeper, Barry Newhouse, Ayesha Tanzeem, Dong Hyuk Lee, and Ksenia Turkova. Organizations such as PEN America and Reporters Without Borders also joined the lawsuits.

U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Lake had unlawfully assumed nearly all powers of USAGM's chief executive.

He found Lake to be "plainly ineligible to serve" as acting CEO under U.S. law, stating that her actions were "arbitrary and capricious." Judge Lamberth specified that Lake had not considered Congress's intent in allocating funds for the agency and the network, nor had she evaluated the implications of effectively ceasing its operations. He added that the defendants provided "nothing approaching a principled basis for their decision" in placing employees on administrative leave.

The judge ordered the reinstatement of 1,042 full-time employees, including VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, and mandated that USAGM submit a plan within one week to restore VOA broadcasts. The ruling did not order the restoration of hundreds of contractors, as their cases were deemed to fall under the jurisdiction of administrative courts.

Responses and Congressional Actions

Kari Lake stated her intention to appeal the ruling, characterizing the judge's decision as an attempt by an "activist judge" to impede efforts to reduce bureaucracy and restore accountability in government, aligning with what she described as former President Trump's mandate.

The plaintiffs expressed feeling "vindicated and deeply grateful" for the ruling, calling it a "powerful step toward undoing the damage" and expressing hope for restoring VOA's global operations to produce "journalism, not propaganda."

Congress had drafted spending bills allocating $643 million for USAGM for fiscal year 2026, a figure significantly higher than the Trump administration's request of $153 million, which was described as sufficient only to wind down the network and agency. Lawmakers also set aside funds for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which had faced funding cuts. Senator Mitch McConnell had previously criticized Lake's decision regarding Radio Farda.

Former President Trump had nominated Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to lead USAGM, a position requiring Senate approval.