Judge Invalidates Kari Lake's Agency Appointment, Voids Firings

A federal judge in Washington ruled on Saturday that Kari Lake lacked the legal authority to serve as acting chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, invalidating her decisions during a four-month period last year that included the firing of hundreds of employees at Voice of America and other affiliated broadcasters.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, in a decision stemming from a lawsuit filed by three Voice of America journalists, determined that Lake's appointment violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Lake, nominated by President Donald Trump in March 2025 to oversee the agency as part of broader efforts to streamline federal operations, assumed the role of acting CEO on July 31, 2025, without Senate confirmation. She stepped down on November 19, 2025.

"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. The judge cited recent court precedents, including rulings that struck down temporary appointments in the Justice Department, to conclude that Lake was...