A federal judge has delivered a devastating blow to Kari Lake, ruling that President Donald Trump’s ally unlawfully ran the U.S. Agency for Global Media for several months in 2025 and voiding all actions she took during that time—including mass layoffs that decimated Voice of America.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued his ruling Saturday, March 7, 2026, determining that Lake was ineligible to serve as USAGM’s acting CEO when she was formally elevated to the position on July 31 without Senate confirmation. She relinquished that position on November 19.
The decision invalidates Lake’s entire four-month tenure, including an August 9 workforce reduction that terminated contracts and laid off hundreds of VOA staffers and contractors. In total, about 1,400 positions—85% of the workforce—have been eliminated since March 2025. Voice of America, which had broadcast in 49 languages to roughly 354 million people weekly, now operates with a skeleton staff in only a handful of languages.
“The Court finds that these expansive delegations were an unlawful effort to transform Lake into the CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media in all but name,” Judge Lamberth wrote.
The ruling represents a major victory for VOA journalists who have fought Lake’s efforts to dismantle the organization. Patsy Widakuswara, Kate Neeper and Jessica Jerreat—the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit—celebrated the decision as vindication. The journalists said in a statement that the ruling “is a powerful step toward undoing the damage she has inflicted on this American institution.”
Lake fired back immediately, calling Lamberth an “activist judge” and vowing to appeal. She said President Trump gave her a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy and accused the judge of obstructing those efforts.
The case hinged on the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which limits how agencies can appoint temporary leaders while awaiting Senate confirmation of permanent nominees. Lamberth concluded Lake did not meet any of the criteria required to assume the acting CEO position.
Lake was not employed by USAGM when former CEO Amanda Bennett resigned in January 2025. She officially joined the agency in March as a senior adviser, with a November 21 news release calling her deputy CEO. Lake claimed that as deputy, she was eligible to assume the acting CEO role once Victor Morales was removed from it.
Lamberth rejected that argument, finding it would essentially negate the Senate’s constitutional role in confirming powerful appointees. The judge also invalidated actions Lake took when Morales delegated nearly all of his responsibilities to her.
The ruling echoes a 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision that similarly invalidated the appointment of Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer, to serve as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. In both cases, courts found the administration violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act by using maneuvers to bypass Senate confirmation.
This marks at least the third time Lamberth has ruled against the Trump administration in cases involving Voice of America. The Reagan-appointed judge halted plans in April and September that would have put many VOA employees out of work, though the April ruling was later overturned by an appeals court.
Lake’s tenure at USAGM proved controversial from the start. The former Fox 10 Phoenix television news anchor lost Arizona political bids in 2022 and 2024 before joining the Trump administration. She quickly moved to remake the agency, hiring Frank Wuco as an adviser—a conservative former talk show host who promoted the birther conspiracy involving Barack Obama and investigated VOA journalists for perceived anti-Trump bias during Trump’s first term.
Under Lake’s leadership, VOA essentially went dark March 15, 2025, after 83 years on the air. Lake expedited the sale of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building that had housed VOA since 1954 and canceled a long-term lease to move into new offices. Hundreds of employees were given deadlines to accept deferred resignation offers.
The ruling throws these actions into legal limbo. Employees face uncertainty about their employment status. The decision also affects the status of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other federally funded global media organizations overseen by USAGM, each of which has been involved in separate litigation.
Lake dismissed Lamberth as having a “pattern of activist rulings” and said she strongly disagrees with the decision. The government plans to appeal, setting up another round in what has become a prolonged legal battle over the fate of America’s international broadcasting operations.
For now, the journalists who challenged Lake’s authority have won a significant legal victory. The appeal process will determine whether that translates into restored operations for Voice of America.