A federal judge ruled on March 7, 2026, that Kari Lake unlawfully served as the acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

The decision is the latest in a string of legal defeats to the Trump administration’s year-long effort to dismantle the federal agency that oversees Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters.

Judge rules Kari Lake unlawfully ran U.S. media agency, voiding layoffs

By Scott Nover

(Tom Brenner for The Post)

A federal judge ruled on March 7, 2026, that 

Kari Lake

 unlawfully served as the acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent agency of Voice of America (VOA). 

 

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth found that Lake's appointment violated the Appointments Clause of the Constitution and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Consequently, the judge declared all major actions taken during her tenure as "void," effectively reversing mass layoffs and other structural changes. 

• Unlawful Authority: The judge determined Lake was "plainly ineligible" for the acting role because she was never Senate-confirmed and did not meet the criteria to be a "first assistant" at the time the vacancy occurred.

 INSERT

U.S. judge voids 2025 actions taken by Kari Lake as Voice of America CEO, including job cuts

By Mike Stone

Sat, March 7, 2026 at 7:05 PM MST

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FILE PHOTO: A reporter trails United States Agency for Global Media's (USAGM) Kari Lake as she walks on the driveway outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 21, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - A federal judge ruled on Saturday that Kari Lake's leadership of the U.S. Agency for Global Media for much of last year ‌violated federal law, invalidating a sweeping series of actions she took to cut staff and ‌end many operations at its Voice of America unit.

In another blow to the Trump administration's attempts to diminish various government ​agencies, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth granted a summary judgment in favor of plaintiffs — including VOA journalists and a union representing federal employees — who argued that Lake's appointment as acting CEO and actions she took in that role ran afoul of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution's Appointments Clause.

• Lamberth ruled that Lake ‌was ineligible to serve as acting ⁠CEO because she was not employed by USAGM when former CEO Amanda Bennett resigned in January 2025, and had not been confirmed by the Senate to ⁠any other federal post. Lake officially joined USAGM in March as a senior adviser. 
• A November 21 news release from the agency called her deputy CEO.
• The judge also rejected the administration's argument that Lake could wield CEO ​authority through ​a delegation from previous acting CEO Victor Morales.

> Saturday's ​decision marks at least the third time ‌Lamberth has ruled against the Trump administration in cases involving the Voice of America. 

Lake vowed to appeal Lamberth's latest ruling. "Judge Lamberth has a pattern of activist rulings — and this case is no different," she said in a statement.Lawyers for ‌the plaintiffs did not immediately return a request for ​comment.

Under the Vacancies Act, actions taken by someone not lawfully ​serving in a vacant office "shall have no ​force or effect" and cannot be ratified, Lamberth wrote. That standard could threaten ‌the legal standing of Lake's decisions, including a ​reduction-in-force affecting hundreds of ​employees that remains under a court-ordered suspension.

"As a consequence, any actions taken by Lake during her asserted tenure as acting CEO between July 31 and November 19, 2025...are void," Lamberth wrote.

Voice ​of America, which had broadcast ‌in 49 languages to 420 million people across more than 100 countries, was limited ​to four languages under the administration's efforts to dismantle the agency.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in ​Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Franklin Paul)

• Invalidated Actions: All decisions made between July 31 and November 19, 2025, were ruled to have "no force or effect," including the elimination of 532 federal employees and the dismissal of approximately 600 contractors.
• Restoration of Operations: The ruling may lead to the restoration of global operations for VOA, which had been significantly reduced under Lake's leadership. 

Reactions and Next Steps

• Kari Lake: Responding to the decision, Lake called Lamberth an "activist judge" and stated the administration would appeal the ruling.
• Plaintiffs: Lead plaintiff and VOA White House bureau chief 
  Patsy Widakuswara
   called the ruling a "powerful step toward undoing the damage" to the institution.
• Immediate Impact: The court also directed the government to clarify who is legally serving as the agency's acting leader and to provide a clear succession plan. 

 The legal ruling does not necessarily end the dispute. Appeals or additional legal proceedings could follow as both sides assess the implications of the court’s decision. Nevertheless, the judgment has already had immediate consequences for the agency’s internal operations.