Kari Lake Says Trump Administration Will Appeal Ruling Blocking USAGM Restructuring

Kari Lake said in a Saturday statement that the Trump administration will appeal a federal court ruling that blocked efforts to restructure the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), calling the decision the work of an “activist judge.”

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a ruling preventing changes to the agency that oversees U.S. government-funded international broadcasting outlets, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The decision halted actions connected to the administration’s effort to reorganize the agency.

USAGM is an independent federal agency that oversees several U.S. government-funded media organizations broadcasting internationally, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

Lamberth ruled that Kari Lake was not legally authorized to serve as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and, therefore, the actions she took in that role are invalid. Lamberth found that Lake did not meet the requirements of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act because she was not employed by USAGM when the previous CEO resigned and had not been confirmed to another qualifying federal office.

He explained, “The Vacancies Reform Act provides the exclusive means for temporarily authorizing an acting official to perform the functions and duties of a vacant office requiring Senate confirmation.”

Lamberth then declared Lake’s actions while in the role have “no force or effect,” effectively voiding the structural changes she implemented at USAGM and Voice of America (VOA), the cancellations of contracts, and the recent Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) previously reported by California Globe to “Modernize and Right-size” the agency.

“Because Lake was not lawfully serving in that role, the actions taken during that period are invalid,” Lamberth wrote.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit challenging the restructuring effort. According to reporting from Politico, the court’s decision ordered the administration to halt actions affecting USAGM operations while the case proceeds.

Lake responded publicly to the ruling in a statement posted to X, stating that the administration would challenge the decision in court.

“The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government,” Lake wrote. “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

In additional posts responding to commentary about the ruling, Lake reiterated that the administration intends to challenge the decision.

“We will appeal this outrageous ruling from an activist DC District Court Judge,” Lake wrote in a reply on X.

Lake also criticized Lamberth in a separate post, referencing previous rulings by the judge.

“Lamberth is the judge who slept through the J6 defendants’ trials then woke up and threw them in prison for absurdly long sentences. And he also ruled that violent male convicts who claimed they were trans should be housed in women prisons,” Lake wrote.

Lamberth is the judge who slept through the J6 defendants’ trials then woke up and threw them in prison for absurdly long sentences. And he also ruled that violent male convicts who claimed they were trans should be housed in women prisons. Sick and dumb.

— Kari Lake (@KariLake) March 8, 2026

The agency’s mission is to provide news and information to international audiences in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives and democratic values.

The court ruling temporarily blocks the administration’s efforts to restructure the agency while the legal challenge proceeds to the appeals stage. An appeal would move the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit if filed by the administration.