A federal judge threatened to hold Senior Advisor for the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) Kari Lake in contempt for failing to show the court that she is complying with an order to reinstate Voice of America’s programming.
Multiple courts ruled against President Donald Trump’s decision to dismantle Voice of America (VOA) and USAGM, which broadcasts news reporting to a global audience in nearly 50 languages.
From The New York Times:
A federal judge on Monday threatened to hold Kari Lake, a Trump loyalist who presided over effectively shutting down Voice of America, in contempt for disobeying his order to restore programming at the federally funded news organization.
On Monday, the judge, Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, sought details on Trump officials’ compliance with his April order to restore V.O.A.’s programming so that it would “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.” The broadcaster provided independent reporting to countries with limited press freedom.
But government lawyers frustrated the judge, a Reagan appointee, with what he deemed evasive and incomplete answers. He said that Ms. Lake, who was not in the courtroom, “clearly hasn’t complied with my order,” adding, “On the face of it, she’s on the verge of contempt.”
“Why is she stonewalling me?” Judge Lamberth asked.
Voice of America, which ran a 24-hour news broadcast in 49 languages to 360 million people every week, has been reduced to bare bones since President Trump effectively ordered its shutdown in March.
In April, Judge Lamberth held that in throttling the news outlet, the Trump administration had likely violated the Constitution as well as laws governing spending of federal funds. He also noted that the International Broadcasting Act mandates continued operations of federally funded media networks.
Voice of America now broadcasts news in only four languages for about an hour a day. The administration put most of its employees on paid leave and moved to lay off around 1,300 journalists and support staff at the agency.
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BREAKING: Judge Lamberth orders Kari Lake to sit for a deposition about whether she is operating Voice of America up to legal minimum standards.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 25, 2025
He says this is "one final opportunity" before a contempt trial. pic.twitter.com/M8KSsABWgZ
Lake clapped back, claiming Lambert is abusing his authority. “It’s wrong, but sadly, it’s become the norm,” she said.
Judge Lamberth directed Lake and her agency to show that they are complying with his order to resurrect the news agency. The New York Times suggested that Lake had submitted reports offering scant details on how it was reviving the outlet.
Lamberth, a Reagan appointee, instructed Lake and other Trump officials to give depositions to explain how they were complying with his order. “I don’t want to go through a contempt trial, but if it comes to that, then we’ll go through a contempt trial,” he said.
The judge told Lake and two aides that they must give the depositions by September 15 and provide the information the court requested,” according to NPR.
Lake gave NPR an emailed statement in which she noted how “we’ve seen district court judges overstep their authority.”
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