Title: The Unraveling of Voice of America: A Legal Battle with Kari Lake at Its Center
The recent ruling by U.S District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordering Trump administration official Kari Lake to submit to questioning under oath in ongoing litigation over her efforts to effectively dismantle Voice of America (VOA) is a significant development that has far-reaching implications for the future of this federally funded international broadcaster.
The legal battle surrounding VOA and its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has been ongoing since Lake's appointment as an administration official. Judge Lamberth has repeatedly ordered her to make information available about her intentions for the future of VOA, but she has consistently failed to comply with these orders. This led the judge to accuse her of "verging on contempt of court."
Lake and two aides have been ordered by the judge to testify by September 15th and provide detailed information they had so far withheld about VOA and its federal parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. One of these aides is Frank Wuco, who was involved in investigating Voice of America journalists for ideological bias at the end of President Trump's first term.
In response to the judge's order, Lake has rejected his authority and accused him of overstepping his bounds as a district court judge. She argues that it is time to restore constitutional checks and balances in such cases. However, this stance does not seem to hold much weight given her history of non-compliance with the judicial orders.
Kari Lake is being sued by Voice of America's director, several journalists, a senior executive of its parent agency, and various unions and press advocacy groups in two related cases. The ongoing court hearings have seen Judge Lamberth criticize the U.S Justice Department attorney for his handling of the defense, stating that he was only offering vague assurances.
The significance of this legal battle cannot be overstated as it directly impacts the future of Voice of America and its ability to fulfill its mandate as a federally funded international broadcaster. The potential implications are vast, ranging from changes in editorial policies to shifts in funding allocations that could significantly impact VOA's operations worldwide.
In conclusion, this legal battle between Kari Lake and the various parties involved in the litigation over Voice of America is a critical moment for both the broadcaster and American democracy as a whole. The outcome will have far-reaching implications on how we perceive freedom of speech, press independence, and government accountability within our nation's borders and beyond.
Source: [Original Article](https://www.npr.org/2025/08/26/nx-s1-5506283/judge-order-kari-lake-sworn-deposition-voice-of-america-oath-usagm) #judge
Check out my AI projects on <a href='https://huggingface.co/ghostail'>Hugging Face</a>, join our community on <a href='https://discord.com/invite/zgKZUJ6V8z'>Discord</a>, and explore my services at <a href='https://ghostai.pro'>GhostAI</a>!