Judge orders 1,000 Voice of America staffers back to work in rebuke to Kari Lake

"U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth last month ruled that Lake had unlawfully taken on almost all powers of the chief executive of the network's federal parent, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, and therefore that her actions since joining as senior adviser to the agency were invalid."

"In his ruling Tuesday, Lamberth declaring that Lake had violated the law on additional grounds. She had, he ruled, failed to take into account Congress' intentions in setting aside money for the agency and the network or to consider what the implications would be of effectively shutting it down."

"Under Lake, the agency sought to assign Abramowitz to a small short-wave radio facility in North Carolina and then to fire him for refusing to accept the reassignment. Abramowitz is among those whose positions will be restored, assuming that Lamberth's ruling stands."

Federal Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered the U.S. Agency for Global Media to reinstate 1,042 Voice of America employees by Monday, determining that Kari Lake's actions were unlawful and arbitrary. Lake, serving as senior adviser and later deputy CEO, unlawfully assumed powers belonging to the agency's chief executive. The judge ruled she violated additional laws by failing to consider Congress's budgetary intentions and the implications of effectively shutting down the network. Lake had attempted to reassign Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz to a remote facility and fire him for refusing. The ruling restores positions for affected employees, though Lake indicated plans to appeal and accused the judge of judicial activism.

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