{"id":2577501,"date":"2026-03-08T22:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-voids-voa-layoffs-citing-invalid-trump-appointment-of-kari-lake\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T22:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T02:53:41","slug":"judge-voids-voa-layoffs-citing-invalid-trump-appointment-of-kari-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-voids-voa-layoffs-citing-invalid-trump-appointment-of-kari-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge voids VOA layoffs, citing invalid Trump appointment of Kari Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-voids-voa-layoffs-citing-invalid-trump-appointment-of-kari-lake%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577501&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal judge voided mass layoffs<\/a> at Voice of America after ruling that Kari Lake\u2019s appointment as acting head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was invalid because it bypassed Senate confirmation and proper Vacancies Act procedures. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth concluded Lake was ineligible to serve as acting CEO of USAGM, elevated on July 31, 2025, in an acting capacity and without senate confirmation. The 17-page opinion cites the need for proper appointment processes and echoes a Third Circuit ruling that similarly questioned Lake\u2019s leadership. Lake argued she never held the official title and that authority had been delegated to her,but the judge rejected this and said the president cannot circumvent Congress. If the ruling stands, more than 1,000 VOA journalists and staff could return to work; VOA previously broadcast in 49 languages with over 360 million weekly listeners, serving countries with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clearly-putin-is-weakened-former-cia-director-reacts-to-wagner-mutiny-in-russia\/\" title=\"Ex...CIA Director: Putin&#039;s Power Diminished by Wagner Mutiny in Russia.\">restricted press freedom<\/a>. Lake relinquished the post on November 19, 2025, and the four-month period, including the August 29, 2025, workforce reduction, was deemed void.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge voids Voice of America layoffs, citing invalid Trump appointment of Kari Lake<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2525122\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal judge on Saturday voided mass layoffs at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voice-of-america\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4488\">Voice of America<\/a> after ruling <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kari-lake\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2052\">Kari Lake&rsquo;s <\/a>appointment invalid, a major rejection of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> attempts to dismantle the government-funded news group.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in a 17-page opinion, concluded that Lake was ineligible to serve as the acting CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA&rsquo;s parent agency, after being elevated to the position on July 31, 2025, in an &ldquo;acting capacity&rdquo; and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/confirmation-hearing\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3524\">without Senate confirmation<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4483445\/what-still-missing-epstein-files-doj-begins-restore-removed-documents\/\">What&#8217;s still missing from Epstein files? DOJ begins restoring removed documents<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4483973\/florida-bar-denies-investigation-lindsey-halligan\/\">Florida Bar denies investigation into ex-US Attorney Lindsey Halligan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/space\/4483541\/texas-defends-spacex-shutting-down-public-beach-rocket-launches\/\">Texas defends SpaceX shutting down public beach for rocket launches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Lake later relinquished the position on Nov. 19, 2025. Lake took in that four<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/would-the-senate-border-deal-legalize-2-million-immigrants-a-year\/\" title=\"Does the Senate border deal allow for the legalization of 2 million immigrants annually\">-month time frame<\/a> must be treated as &ldquo;void,&rdquo; including an Aug. 29, 2025, reduction in USAGM&rsquo;s workforce.<\/p>\n<p>Lamberth said Trump&rsquo;s decision to have Lake lead the agency without Senate confirmation or the appropriate procedures required &ldquo;an unlawful effort to transform Lake into the CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media in all but name.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Vacancies Act requires that an acting head must be the second senior officer of an agency, be appointed by the president with the Senate&rsquo;s consent, or be a senior officer who had been at the agency before a vacancy arose.<\/p>\n<p>Lamberth leaned heavily on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www2.ca3.uscourts.gov\/opinarch\/252635p.pdf\">the ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a> that similarly invalidated the appointment of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3902396\/appeals-court-alina-habba-unlawfully-served-new-jersey-prosecutor\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"3902396\">Alina Habba<\/a>, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s former personal lawyer, to lead the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office in New Jersey.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Lake claimed that she had not assumed the official title of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voa-whistleblower-misrepresented-academic-credentials\/\" title=\"VOA \u2018Whistleblower\u2019 Misrepresented Academic Credentials\">acting chief executive<\/a> of the media agency, but rather that the authority of the chief executive position had been delegated to her.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lamberth rejected her argument, writing that &ldquo;allowing the president to circumvent Congress&rsquo;s carefully crafted limitations&rdquo; <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/constitution\/\">violates the Constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lake, a former television anchor who unsuccessfully ran for governor and a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, billed herself as a reformer who would fix what she has called the &ldquo;most corrupt agency in Washington.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government,&rdquo; Lake said in a statement on Saturday. &ldquo;An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM. &hellip; We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If the decision from Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/district-of-columbia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1483\">District of Columbia <\/a>is upheld by higher courts, it would allow more than 1,000 journalists and support staff members at the news group to return to their jobs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The judge&rsquo;s ruling that Lake&rsquo;s actions shall have no force or effect is a powerful step toward undoing the damage she has inflicted on this American institution,&rdquo; wrote Voice of America&rsquo;s White House bureau chief, Patsy Widakuswara, VOA press freedom editor Jessica Jerreat, and Kate Neeper, USAGM&rsquo;s director of strategy and performance assessment.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Trump&rsquo;s decision to close the agency and influence editorial decisions, Voice of America broadcasts were produced in 49 languages and had more than 360 million weekly listeners internationally, providing news services to foreign countries with limited press freedoms, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"232\">China<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"80\">Russia<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After Lamberth&rsquo;s ruling Saturday, the named plaintiffs in the case said in a statement that they felt &ldquo;vindicated and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-issues-preemptive-pardons-for-fauci-and-jan-6-committee-members-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Biden issues preemptive pardons for Fauci and Jan. 6 committee members ... Washington Examiner\">deeply grateful&#038;rdquo<\/a>; for the decision, emphasizing their efforts to &ldquo;restore V.O.A.&rsquo;s global operations and ensure [they] continue to produce journalism, not propaganda,&rdquo; after nearly a year since operations shuttered last March.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge voids VOA layoffs; Lake appointment invalid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4048,"featured_media":2577502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/donald-trump-kl.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33066,75381,75380],"class_list":["post-2577501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-kari-lake","tag-trump-appointment-validity","tag-voa-layoffs"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/donald-trump-kl.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4048"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577501"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577505,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577501\/revisions\/2577505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}