Judge Halts Mass Terminations at Voice of America
A federal judge has blocked a new wave of terminations at Voice of America (VOA), criticizing the Trump administration's actions. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a scathing ruling against Kari Lake and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), halting the mass reduction in force (RIF).
In his 19-page ruling, Judge Lamberth warned that the cuts would "cement" VOA’s failure to meet its legal obligations to provide reliable news. He cited statutory violations, including VOA shutting down mandated language services despite clear congressional directives.
Accusations of Misleading the Court
Judge Lamberth accused the Trump administration of misleading the court, calling it "incredible" to suggest the RIF was uncertain when evidence showed it was already in motion. The RIF notices covered both VOA and USAGM employees, and the judge rejected the government’s attempt to carve out non-VOA staff.
Kari Lake admitted under oath that she hadn’t given much thought to whether Africa qualifies as a "significant region of the world" under the law and confirmed VOA produces no programming for South America. This admission further fueled the judge's concerns.
Impact on VOA's Global Reach
The court noted that VOA acknowledged its "radio presence" had shrunk to a single 30-minute daily program in Dari and Pashto, leaving gaps in coverage for nations like North Korea and China. Judge Lamberth previously ruled that the Trump administration must restore VOA programming to levels commensurate with its statutory mandate to “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.” He also blocked Lake from removing Michael Abramowitz as VOA’s director.
Judge Cites ‘Concerning Disrespect’
Lamberth accused the administration of showing “concerning disrespect” toward the court in response to his earlier orders to produce information about its plans for Voice of America. He noted that the agency initiated the job cuts only hours after a hearing last month in which government lawyers said a reduction in force, or RIF, was merely a possibility.