A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Agency for Global Media must reverse its decision that put more than 1,000 Voice of America employees on leave, dealing a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to gut VOA.
The same judge recently said the appointment of Trump ally Kari Lake, who oversaw the job cuts as head of USAGM, violated federal law.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said Tuesday that Lake “repeatedly thumbed her nose” at statutory requirements and that the Trump administration has “made no effort to defend the merits” of its downsizing decision.
The U.S Agency for Global Media, which houses Voice of America, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
VOA Director Michael Abramowitz, who was put on leave alongside hundreds of his employees, praised the ruling.
“We are thrilled with Judge Lamberth’s ruling and look forward to getting back to work,” Abramowitz told NBC News in a text message. “Voice of America has never been more needed. I am grateful for the resilience and dedication of VOA’s amazing workforce.”
Abramowitz sued the Trump administration last year to restore the organization’s editorial independence. That lawsuit became the case that Lamberth ruled on Tuesday.
Voice of America has been limited to broadcasting in just four languages amid the Trump administration’s cuts, a sharp drop from the 49 languages it previously broadcast to 420 million people across more than 100 countries.
VOA had around 1,000 federal employees during the Biden administration, according to USAGM figures.
Lamberth this month deemed Lake’s position as head of USAGM to be in violation of federal law, which threatened the validity of the actions she took in the role.
Lamberth said that Lake’s appointment violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and that therefore any actions she took in the role should be struck down. The Vacancies Act says actions taken by someone not lawfully serving in a vacant office “shall have no force or effect” and cannot be ratified, Lamberth said in his earlier ruling.
President Donald Trump last week nominated Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, to replace Lake as head of USAGM. Rogers is a former First Amendment lawyer whose clients have included the National Rifle Association.
