A federal judge voided mass layoffs at Voice of America on Saturday, ruling that the official who ordered them had no legal authority to run the agency. The decision blocks one of the Trump administration's most aggressive efforts to reshape a government-funded news organization.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth found that Kari Lake's appointment as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media violated both the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Lake had not been employed by the agency when the previous CEO resigned and had never been confirmed by the Senate to any federal position, making her ineligible for the role, Lamberth wrote.
Lake officially joined USAGM in March as a senior adviser. By November, the agency's news release identified her as deputy CEO. The Trump administration later argued she could wield CEO authority through a delegation from Victor Morales, the previous acting CEO. Lamberth rejected that argument entirely.
The judge found that Lake's lack of proper employment status at the time of her appointment violated federal law. Former CEO Amanda Bennett had resigned in January 2025. Lake was later appointed to fill the vacancy without meeting the legal requirements for the position.
Lake's tenure included sweeping cuts to staff and operations at Voice of America, the agency's news division. Lamberth's ruling voided all actions she took while unlawfully serving as acting CEO, including the mass layoffs that prompted the lawsuit.
VOA journalists and a union representing federal employees brought the case against Lake and the administration. The summary judgment granted Saturday favored the plaintiffs on all counts.
This marks at least the third time Lamberth has ruled against the Trump administration in cases involving Voice of America. The judge halted workforce reduction plans in April and September, though an appeals court later overturned the April ruling.
A federal judge voided mass layoffs at Voice of America on Saturday, ruling that the official who ordered them had no legal authority to run the agency. The decision restores jobs for hundreds of federal employees and blocks one of the Trump administration's most aggressive efforts to reshape a government-funded news organization.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth found that Kari Lake's appointment as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media violated both the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Lake had not been employed by the agency when the previous CEO resigned and had never been confirmed by the Senate to any federal position, making her ineligible for the role, Lamberth wrote.
Lake joined USAGM in March as a senior adviser. By November, the agency's news release identified her as deputy CEO. The Trump administration later argued she could wield CEO authority through a delegation from Victor Morales, the previous acting CEO. Lamberth rejected that argument entirely.
The judge found that Lake's lack of proper employment status at the time of her appointment violated federal law. Former CEO Amanda Bennett had resigned in January 2025, creating the vacancy that Lake was asked to fill without meeting the legal requirements for the position.
Lake's tenure included sweeping cuts to staff and operations at Voice of America, the agency's news division. Lamberth's ruling voided all actions she took while unlawfully serving as acting CEO, including the mass layoffs that prompted the lawsuit.
VOA journalists and a union representing federal employees brought the case against Lake and the administration. The summary judgment granted Saturday favored the plaintiffs on all counts.
This marks at least the third time Lamberth has ruled against the Trump administration in cases involving Voice of America. The judge halted workforce reduction plans in April and September, though an appeals court later overturned the April ruling. Saturday's decision stands as the most comprehensive judicial rejection of the administration's restructuring efforts at the agency.
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