A federal court determined that actions taken by Kari Lake while overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media were not legally authorized because she had not received Senate confirmation.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A federal judge has ruled that Kari Lake did not have the legal authority to carry out major operational changes at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, concluding that her role leading the agency was not properly authorized under federal law.
Lake, who was selected by President Donald Trump to oversee the government entity responsible for international broadcasting outlets such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, had implemented significant reductions across the agency’s operations.
The changes included terminating contracts with journalists and producers and laying off most employees working within the organization. Programming that previously aired in dozens of languages was reduced to only a small number of broadcasts, leaving the newsroom operating with minimal staff.
Voice of America, which was established during World War II, has historically served as a communications platform through which the United States delivers news and information to audiences in countries where press freedoms are restricted or media access is limited.
Although Lake had been tapped to effectively lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, she had not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve in the position.
In a ruling addressing the legality of her role, U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said the steps taken under Lake’s leadership could not stand because her authority did not meet constitutional or statutory requirements governing executive branch appointments.
“Only the Appointments Clause or the Vacancies Act’s exclusive structure may authorize service as a principal officer, and Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution,” Lamberth wrote in the decision.
The ruling voids the actions Lake took while acting as the agency’s chief executive and raises questions about the status of the operational changes implemented during her tenure.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media oversees several federally funded international broadcasters, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other media services intended to provide news coverage to global audiences.
Lake’s efforts to scale back the agency’s activities represented one of the most significant operational restructurings in the organization’s history, dramatically reducing staffing and programming across multiple language services.
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