A federal judge ruled on Saturday that Carrie Lake, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Global Media Agency, did not have the legal authority to take the actions she took to… Pretty much disassembled Voice of America. The impact of the decision on Voice of America’s operations was not immediately clear.
Lake called U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth’s decision “sham” and said it would be appealed.
Voice of America, which brings news coverage to countries around the world Since its founding during World War IIoperating with a small staff and a few languages after Lake terminated contracts and laid off most of its employees.
Lake was chosen by Trump to lead the agency that effectively oversees Voice of America and other services such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. But she did not receive Senate confirmation for her role, and Lamberth said she did not have the authority to act in that capacity because of laws barring unqualified government appointments.
“Only the exclusive appointments or structure provision of the Vacancies Act permits service as a key employee, and Lake meets neither the requirements of the Act nor the Constitution,” Lamberth wrote.
Lamberth was arbitrating a lawsuit filed by Patsy Widakuswara, White House bureau chief at Voice of America, and her colleagues Kate Nipper and Jessica Jerrett. They were among the employees laid off by Lake and were fighting the actions.
“We feel vindicated and deeply grateful,” the journalists said in a statement. They said the ruling against Lake “is a strong step toward undoing the damage she has done to this American institution we love.” They said they were still trying to effectively determine what the measure would mean for colleagues whose careers were in limbo.
VOA supporters describe it as an example of a nation’s “soft power” that provides unbiased news coverage of countries whose governments control the flow of information. Lake has claimed Government-run media They are wasteful and their output should reinforce the views of management.
Reporters Without Borders said Lamberth’s decision confirms what it believes – that the administration acted illegally to cancel the Voice of America. Clayton Weimers, executive director of the organization’s North American branch, said there is still much to be done to ensure VOA journalists return to work.
“This case is proof that the fight for press freedom is important,” Weimers said.
In a statement posted on X, Lake said she strongly disagreed with the decision.
“The American people have given President Trump a mandate to shrink bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government,” she said. “An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM. Judge Lamberth has a pattern of activist rulings — and this case is no different.”
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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him on http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.