Biden– and Obama-appointed judges on an appeals court blocked the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Tuesday from firing the director of the Voice of America.
A D.C. Circuit panel, made up of two Obama appointees and one Biden appointee, upheld a previous ruling by Reagan appointee Royce Lamberth arguing for VOA Director Michael Abramowitz’s reinstatement. Though Abramowitz hailed the decision, he won’t be reinstated to running day-to-day operations immediately.
“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,” Abramowitz said in a statement, obtained by Politico.
He also called on the Trump administration to restore VOA’s operations and bring employees back who were placed on administrative leave.
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The judges rejected the government’s arguments that the case actually belonged before the Merit Systems Protection Board, and that the law creating the advisory board was unconstitutional. They pointed to a similar ruling from the Supreme Court recently, which permitted Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain in her position while litigation to remove her continued.
The three-judge panel argued that the president can still fire the board of the VOA, which decides on the director, so he’s still ultimately in charge. VOA has had no board since January 2025 aside from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, so it lacks a quorum.