Activist Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, has ruled that Kari Lake’s appointment as Senior Advisor to the Acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was “unconstitutional.”
The court claimed that Lake’s appointment allegedly “violated” both the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, meaning she lacked the lawful authority to exercise the powers of the agency’s chief executive.
According to the ruling, the problem with Lake’s appointment was twofold.
First, she had not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which is typically required for principal officers exercising the powers of a federal agency head.
Second, the court found that Lake was not serving in the agency at the time the vacancy occurred, which disqualified her from assuming the role under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.
Because those legal requirements were not satisfied, the judge concluded that Lake never had lawful authority to act as acting CEO of USAGM.
The ruling on Saturday goes even further.
It states that every official action Lake took while exercising the powers of the CEO is invalid, including major policy decisions and personnel moves.
The ruling specifically declares that:
- All official actions taken by Kari Lake between July 31 and November 19, 2025 are void
- This includes reduction-in-force notices issued on August 29, 2025
- Any other actions taken under the delegated authorities of the office “shall have no force or effect.”
In the same order, the court required federal officials to file a status report by March 11, 2026 explaining:
- Who has served as acting CEO of USAGM since November 2025
- Who is currently serving in that role
- The agency’s official succession plan
- All delegations of CEO authority issued since January 2025
The judge also ordered that any future appointment or delegation of authority must be filed with the court within 48 hours.
NEWS: Judge Lamberth declares “null and void” seemingly all actions by Kari Lake at Voice of America/US Agency for Global Media – saying she took on power without legal authority.
This includes the mass layoffs, administrative leaves and more /con’t
Two page decision: pic.twitter.com/O6SRcWRJsI
— David Folkenflik (@davidfolkenflik) March 7, 2026
Kari Lake has already signaled she plans to challenge the ruling, blasting the outrageous ruling after responding to a tweet from CNN’s “Potato Head” Brian Stelter.
“Potato Head (@brianstelter), We will appeal this outrageous ruling from an activist DC District Court Judge. Unfortunately, this image of you insulting and betraying masculinity is with us forever.”
Potato Head (@brianstelter),
We will appeal this outrageous ruling from an activist DC District Court Judge. Unfortunately, this image of you insulting and betraying masculinity is with us forever. https://t.co/w1SGZ8hEsn— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 8, 2026
Kari Lake added in an official statement:
“The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government.
An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM. Judge Lamberth has a pattern of activist rulings — and this case is no different. We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal.”
My statement on today’s bogus ruling by an activist judge regarding @USAGM⤵️
The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government.
An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those…
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 8, 2026
This ruling comes as no surprise from Lamberth, a judge with a long history of siding against conservative reforms and protecting the deep state bureaucracy.
As The Gateway Pundit has previously reported, Lamberth has been critical of Lake’s efforts to downsize the bloated USAGM and its affiliates, including in an August 2025 ruling where he blocked Lake from firing Voice of America (VOA) Director Michael Abramowitz, forcing taxpayers to continue paying his six-figure salary while he sits on paid leave.
Kari Lake has been a fearless warrior against the corruption embedded in USAGM since her swearing-in as Senior Advisor in March 2025.
Lake has exposed shocking instances of pro-CCP corruption at Radio Free Asia and pro-EU meddling by Radio Free Europe in Hungary’s elections, slamming seditious Democrats in the process.
She testified before Congress that “this place is rotten to the core,” highlighting waste, fraud, and abuse.
In November 2025, Lake blew the lid off a “shocking fire sale” and lies about funding, vowing to refer criminal behavior to the DOJ.
She even axed Hungarian-language propaganda operations at Radio Free Europe.
In an exclusive interview with TGP, Lake revealed how she is “breaking through regime censorship” and delivering President Trump’s pro-America message worldwide.
This latest ruling echoes a similar activist decision from a New York federal judge in March 2025, who granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) halting Lake's initial reforms.
That order, issued by Judge J. Paul Oetken, blocked terminations and grant endings at USAGM, citing similar constitutional and statutory violations.
As TGP reported at the time, this was yet another example of judges in corrupt venues like New York and D.C. overriding the executive branch to protect radical left-wing propaganda.
The deep state is fighting back hard because Lake is winning, exposing how taxpayer dollars have funded anti-American narratives for years.
