On Thursday, a Republican-appointed judge blocked the Trump administration from removing Michael Abramowitz from his post as director of the government-funded Voice of America media organization.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, ruled that Abramowitz’s removal could only be effected by a majority vote of the International Broadcasting Advisory Council (IBAC). The Trump administration had removed the entire council in January.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration’s efforts to remove Abramowitz are part of a broader campaign by the president to tighten control over traditionally independent institutions, such as the press and the Federal Reserve.
In December, Trump selected Kari Lake, a former Republican Senate candidate and longtime stalwart, to lead Voice of America.
But by disbanding the advisory board in January, he also eliminated the body responsible for appointing and removing board members. Lake later served as a senior advisor to the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), VOA’s parent federal agency, and is now its executive vice president.
What To Know
Lamberth ruled Thursday that Abramowitz could only be removed as director of Voice of America by a vote of the board.
The judge wrote: “To the extent that the current lack of a quorum on the board poses a practical obstacle to Abramowitz’s removal, the Broadcast Act provides the president with a simple solution: replace the removed members.”