Judge Orders 1,000 VOA Staffers Back to Work in Rebuke to Kari Lake

A federal judge has ordered the parent agency of Voice of America (VOA) to reinstate 1,042 full-time employees who had been placed on leave, ruling that actions taken by Trump administration official Kari Lake were “arbitrary and capricious,” David Folkenflik reported for NPR.

VOA Director Michael Abramowitz welcomed the decision, saying the organization looks forward to resuming operations. (Photo: Brian Mast) 

US District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth previously ruled that Lake had unlawfully assumed powers of the agency’s chief executive at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), rendering her actions invalid.

She has since held multiple senior roles at the agency, including acting CEO and most recently deputy CEO.

In his latest ruling, Lamberth said Lake failed to consider Congress’s intent in funding the agency and did not adequately assess the consequences of effectively shutting down the network.

VOA Director Michael Abramowitz welcomed the decision, saying the organization looks forward to resuming operations. “VOA has never been more needed,” he said.

Under Lake’s leadership, Abramowitz had been reassigned to a small shortwave radio facility in North Carolina and was later dismissed after refusing the reassignment.