Kari Lake's U.S. Agency for Global Media is asking a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., to pump the brakes on a judge's order that would send hundreds of Voice of America journalists back to work on a tight deadline.
In a filing on Friday, the agency asked the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington to give it more time to comply with the district court's reinstatement order while it pursues an appeal, turning a bureaucratic fight over a reorganization into a high-profile legal showdown. Employee groups and unions, for their part, are urging the court to block any delay and restore VOA's newsroom operations right away.
According to the Arizona Republic, the agency wants the appeals court to set aside an upcoming deadline to reinstate hundreds of employees while it works out a restoration plan during the appeal. Employees and unions told the court that granting a pause would only stretch out the disruption to VOA's reporting and pressed judges to deny the request. The Arizona Republic reports the dispute is now squarely back before the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.
Judge's order and what it required
U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Lake did not have legal authority to carry out sweeping personnel changes at the U.S. Agency for Global Media and voided many of her moves, including mass layoffs, as detailed by The Washington Post. As reported by the Associated Press, Lamberth gave the agency one week to draft a plan to restore Voice of America's programming and required steps to return staff to work after roughly a year of curtailed operations.
Lake and the agency push back
Lake blasted the ruling and vowed to appeal. "The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government," she said, according to The Washington Post.
In its appellate papers, the agency argues it needs breathing room to carry out an orderly restoration so that programming and staffing can resume without more chaos, the Arizona Republic reports. In other words, USAGM is telling the court that rushing to flip the switch back on could cause as many problems as it solves.
What happens next
The appeals court will decide whether to grant USAGM's motion and pause the district court's reinstatement deadline. Appellate panels sometimes issue short, temporary stays while they take a closer look at a case, but there is no guarantee.
Just Security's litigation tracker lays out a complicated procedural history, showing how appeals, stays and competing injunctions have repeatedly shaped this fight. If the D.C. Circuit issues a stay, restoration could be pushed back while the merits are briefed. If it refuses, Lamberth's order would stand and the agency would have to move quickly to bring staff and programming back.
Why it matters
Advocates say restoring VOA employees is about more than office politics. It affects the agency's global reach and the lives of journalists whose careers and visas may depend on continued employment.
The Associated Press reported that Lamberth found roughly 1,042 of about 1,147 VOA positions were shelved after the administration's reorganization, leaving the broadcaster operating at a fraction of its prior capacity. CBS News and other outlets have detailed how the cuts gutted VOA's language services and newsroom operations, a setback that critics say undercuts the United States' ability to deliver independent news abroad.
Legal implications
The core legal question is whether Lake lawfully exercised authority to reshape USAGM, an issue tied to the Constitution's Appointments Clause and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act that the courts must sort out. If the D.C. Circuit affirms Lamberth's ruling, many of Lake's personnel decisions could remain void.
If the appeals court narrows the district court's order or grants a stay, the agency could pursue a more gradual and closely supervised approach to restoring services, according to analysis by Just Security. However it plays out, the case will help set the boundaries for how far political appointees can go in reshaping federal media agencies.
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