Appeals court upholds restoration of Voice of America director

Nov. 10 (UPI) — A federal appeals court panel ruled Tuesday that a lower court’s order restoring Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz to his role should stand, despite the Trump administration’s attempt to oust him.

The Voice of America is a government-funded international broadcaster established during World War II to help counter Nazi propaganda. President Donald Trump has cut much of the broadcaster’s staff and dismantled much of its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for GlobalMedia, last year.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously said Judge Royce Lamberth, who earlier ruled to reinstate Abramowitz, had the power to do so. Lamberth said in that ruling that the attempt to fire Abramowitz was “plainly contrary to law.”

A federal law says any appointment or removal of a VOA director must be approved by a majority of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. As Trump dismantled this board upon taking office for the second time in January 2025, it could not take action to dismiss Abramowitz, the court said.

In the court’s published opinion, Judge Cornelia Pillard said the protections in this case are “not standard employment law, but a durable barrier against any breach of the firewall protecting the journalistic integrity of Voice of America and the affiliate networks.”

Abramowitz said in a statement that he was “gratified” by the ruling.

“[I] look forward to getting back to the important work Voice of America does worldwide on behalf of the American people,” he said.

Kari Lake, the former head of the Agency for Global Media, fired Abramowitz in August 2025 after he refused to move to a lower-level post.

Abramowitz is also suing the government over Lake’s attempt to dismantle VOA. That litigation is ongoing. Hundreds of employees have been on paid administrative leave for about a year and a half.

VOA was created to broadcast into countries in which governments have censored the free exchange of information. Its work has been mostly curtailed during Trump’s second term.