A federal judge overseeing challenges to the Trump administration’s changes at the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) ruled Saturday that Kari Lake acted unlawfully in running the agency that oversees the Voice of America and other international networks. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth declared all of Lake’s actions over the past year null and void, including layoffs of more than 1,000 journalists and staffers at USAGM and VOA.
Lamberth wrote that “Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution,” and found she lacked lawful authority to exercise the CEO responsibilities she assumed. The ruling follows months of contentious courtroom exchanges in which the judge questioned the government’s contention that Congress had no role in the agency’s leadership and repeatedly challenged Lake’s credibility; he had previously threatened her with contempt.
Lake said she will appeal. In a statement to NPR she accused the judge of activism and defended the administration’s efforts to cut bureaucracy and restore accountability at USAGM.
If upheld, the decision would clear the way to reverse a series of sweeping moves Lake undertook to reshape or dismantle VOA and sister broadcasters, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Actions overturned by the ruling include dismissing contractors; mass layoffs of permanent staff; firing VOA’s director; negotiating to carry content from the right‑wing network One America News; withholding funds from sister networks; and canceling a lease for a new headquarters that prior agency leaders argued would save the government money.
Critics have accused Lake of turning remaining VOA broadcasts into a pro‑Trump platform, notably on coverage of the conflict in Iran. VOA — founded in World War II to model a free press that includes dissent and unfavorable facts — had been broadcasting in 49 languages before last year; by January it was down to six languages, the agency said.
Three named plaintiffs — VOA journalists Patsy Widakuswara and Jessica Jerreat and USAGM chief strategy officer Kate Neeper — issued a joint statement saying they felt “vindicated and deeply grateful,” calling the ruling a step toward undoing damage to the institution. Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, which co‑represented plaintiffs, called the decision “a powerful affirmation of the rule of law.”
Lamberth’s opinion avoided resolving a broader constitutional tug‑of‑war over congressional authority versus presidential prerogative and instead focused on whether Lake had the legal authority to make the decisions she did. The judge concluded she exercised de facto control of the agency but was ineligible to serve as acting CEO under the governing statutes.
Background: Before President Trump’s second term, he expressed intent to install Lake as VOA director. Trump removed six of seven members of the agency’s congressionally created oversight board, then assigned Lake as a senior adviser to USAGM in late February 2025. Victor Morales, the acting CEO at the time, issued a delegation order in March designating Lake to perform most CEO functions. In July the White House named her acting deputy CEO and again delegated the vast majority of CEO powers to her.
Lake later testified she performed about “95 percent” of the CEO’s duties, saying the acting CEO mostly handled routine reports. On July 31 she began calling herself the agency’s acting CEO. NPR and others sought documentation of a formal appointment; none was produced. Lamberth found no public evidence Trump had named Lake to the post and noted she appears ineligible under several statutory provisions. Lake stopped using the acting CEO title in mid‑November, two days after plaintiffs filed a motion challenging her authority, but court filings later showed she signed agency documents in late January and early February using the title; Justice Department attorneys told the court those entries were formatting errors.
The judge also pointed to operational harm from Lake’s actions: amid mass layoffs, the agency could not provide basic financial information to auditors. An outside auditing team hired by the State Department’s inspector general said it lacked time to complete a full audit because of those disruptions; the agency said a full audit could be done in the coming year.
Lamberth’s ruling arrives nearly a year after Lake attempted to lay off all full‑time staff at VOA and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and sought to eliminate federal funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. A former USAGM acting CEO under Trump described the abrupt weekend dismissals as “Bloody Saturday.”
The judge’s decision could prompt appellate review and further litigation over the agency’s leadership, programming obligations set by Congress, and the restoration of staff and operations at VOA and affiliated broadcasters.