The Trump administration lacks the legal authority to remove Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz without approval from an independent board, a federal appeals court ruled.
A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit found that US Agency for Global Media leader Kari Lake could not fire Abramowitz directly. The panel upheld an August 2025 ruling by Senior Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Judge Nina Pillard wrote for the panel that the law creating the independent International Broadcasting Advisory Board is constitutionally valid. The court reasoned that President Donald Trump still maintains indirect control over Abramowitz because the president holds the power to fire members of the board at will.
𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐒 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐈 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍—𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍’𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀’𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐅 For the second time in 15 months, a federal appeals panel has told 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 that running a taxpayer-funded… pic.twitter.com/3M7eqSlOJZ
The Justice Department argued that Abramowitz should have directed his challenge to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Government lawyers also claimed the law empowering the independent board is unconstitutional.
The appeals court rejected those arguments, finding that Congress gave no indication it wanted these claims sent to the MSPB. Pillard wrote that the law functions as a durable barrier protecting the journalistic integrity of Voice of America and its affiliate networks.
Appeals court blocks Trump administration from ousting Voice of America director https://t.co/f8raT8Yntp
Abramowitz expressed satisfaction with the outcome in an email statement. “I am gratified by this result and look forward to getting back to the important work Voice of America does worldwide on behalf of the American people,” he said.
Abramowitz added that he and his lawyers are studying the decision to determine next steps. “But there is no longer any reason for the government to prevent me from doing the job for which I was legally installed on a bipartisan basis more than two years ago,” he said.
New: Appeals court rules that Voice of America director was fired illegally by ex-boss Kari Lake. “This represents the latest Trump Admin failure to dismantle VOA…Hundreds of employees [have been] on paid leave” for the past 18 months. @scottnover: https://t.co/PVmT5Z72YQ
Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Judge Florence Pan joined Pillard on the panel. The DC Circuit previously maintained a temporary bar preventing the administration from firing Abramowitz while litigation moved forward.
The legal battle stems from a March 2025 executive order signed by Trump that called for the shutdown of USAGM and related agencies. Lamberth ruled in March of this year that Lake illegally served while overseeing the agency’s dissolution.
The Desk – A federal appeals court ruled today that the Trump administration cannot fire the director of the Voice of America without approval from an independent oversight board, which the president effectively dismantled. https://t.co/Ku1HxRb6bd https://t.co/Sk5QwucFbm
| Case Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Michael Abramowitz v. Kari Lake |
| Docket Number | No. 25-05314 |
| Decision Date | 11/10/26 |
| Court | D.C. Cir. |
