Appeals Court Upholds VOA Director's 2025 Reinstatement, Ruling Kari Lake Lacked Firing Authority
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 10
Appeals Court Upholds VOA Director's 2025 Reinstatement, Ruling Kari Lake Lacked Firing Authority
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Nov 10
Summary
A three-judge D.C. Circuit panel unanimously affirmed that Michael Abramowitz was illegally fired in August 2025 after he refused Kari Lake’s ultimatum to take a lower-level North Carolina post.
The court backed Judge Royce Lamberth’s ruling that only the Senate-confirmed International Broadcasting Advisory Board—not Lake—could remove the Voice of America director.
Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote that the protections are a “durable barrier” guarding VOA’s journalistic integrity, framing the case as more than a standard employment dispute.
The decision marks another setback to Trump-era efforts to dismantle VOA, where hundreds of employees have spent about 18 months on paid leave and broadcasting has been sharply reduced.
That broader fight continues at USAGM: Lamberth ruled in March that Lake had been leading the agency illegally, while Trump’s nominee to run it, Sarah B. Rogers, still awaits Senate confirmation.