A federal judge has ruled that Kari Lake's tenure as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was illegal. The court stated that Lake's appointment did not comply with the Vacancies Act, which allows temporary assistants or Senate-confirmed candidates to take on the CEO role. Since she was not an assistant nor authorized by Congress, she did not fulfill the necessary provisions. The judge ruled that any action she took during her tenure as VOA CEO between July 31 and Nov. 18, 2025, is null and void. The plaintiffs, Patsy Widakuswara, Kate Neeper and Jessica Jerreat, previously worked for VOA and claimed that VOA failed to fulfill its legally required purpose by asking staff not to return to work, suspending contracts, turning off service and locking the agency's doors.