A federal judge delivered a sharp rebuke Saturday to Kari Lake’s claim that she had the authority to serve as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, ruling that her appointment was not legally valid and declaring that the actions she took while asserting that authority carry no legal force.
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth determined that Lake was never eligible to assume the role of acting chief executive at the agency, which oversees outlets such as Voice of America. The ruling effectively invalidates a series of major decisions she made while claiming the position — including her move to slash roughly 1,400 Voice of America staffers and contractors last year.
According to NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik, Lamberth ruled that Lake’s actions as acting CEO were “‘null and void,’ seemingly all actions” taken under that authority.
The decision centers on the legal requirements governing who can temporarily lead federal agencies. Lamberth found that Lake’s appointment violated both the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, two provisions that outline how high-level government positions must be filled.
In his ruling, Lamberth wrote that Lake did not meet the criteria needed to serve in the role.
“Lake is plainly ineligible to serve under subsection (a)(2) because she was not ‘serv[ing] in an office for which appointment’ is subject to advice and consent prior to her designation as acting CEO,” Lamberth wrote. He added that she also could not qualify under another provision because she had not been working for the agency when the vacancy occurred.
“Nor can she serve under subsection (a)(3) because she was not employed by USAGM in any capacity prior to the occurrence of the vacancy,” the judge wrote.
USAGM functions as the federal parent organization for Voice of America, which Lake had been leading. Voice of America has long been tasked with broadcasting news into countries where governments restrict or censor the flow of information.
Under President Donald Trump, however, Lake had taken steps that critics say amounted to dismantling major parts of the organization. Among the most controversial moves was her decision to cut approximately 1,400 staffers and contractors tied to the broadcaster.
In a sworn declaration submitted in August 2025, Lake stated that she had assumed the position of acting chief executive at the agency.
According to NPR, she attested in that filing that she was “the acting chief executive of Voice of America’s federal parent, simply fulfilling President Trump’s wishes.”
But the court’s ruling suggests that the legal foundation for those decisions never existed.
Journalist Yashar Ali summarized the implications of the decision on Saturday, writing that the court concluded Lake had never been eligible for the role because she had not been confirmed by the Senate and had not been working at the agency when the vacancy occurred.
Because of that, Ali noted, the court determined that any actions Lake took while exercising those powers — including major personnel decisions such as the layoffs — have no legal standing and cannot be retroactively approved.
The ruling also casts a shadow over other decisions made during her tenure. In January, Lake blocked Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from broadcasting into Iran using a USAGM transmitter located in Kuwait, according to Oliver Darcy’s Status Newsletter.
For an agency historically tied to U.S. messaging abroad — particularly in times of geopolitical tension — the legal dispute underscores the complicated role government media can play during international conflicts. While such outlets are often seen as tools to counter censorship overseas, their operations are also shaped by political and legal battles at home.
As of Saturday, the White House had not issued a public response to Lamberth’s ruling.
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