Long time readers may recall Kari Lake, a former broadcaster in Arizona, as well as failed Senate and gubernatorial candidate in the same State, and Trump devotee. Her latest political job was as Director of Voice of America where she laid workers off and tried to dismantle the Voice, and, well, her losing streak continues:
Press freedom organizations are celebrating the court decision invalidating Kari Lake’s tenure at Voice of America and nullifying the mass layoffs she ordered last year.
Reporters without Borders’ Executive Director Clayton Weimers, said the Saturday evening ruling “confirms what we knew when we first filed this lawsuit almost one year ago: that Kari Lake and the Trump administration acted unlawfully in gutting Voice of America (VOA). There is still more to unpack in this decision and work to be done to ensure VOA’s journalists get back to work. Beyond the immediate implications of the decision, this case is proof that fighting for press freedom matters.”
Lake, a former local news anchor and failed gubernatorial and Senate candidate, had tried to dismantle Voice of America, the U.S. government-funded international broadcaster created during World War II to provide news to a global audience, particularly to countries with little to no press freedom. Lake left her position as CEO on Nov. 19. [MS NOW]
Why is this important? Principally, it’s the judiciary once again stepping up to the plate and invalidating the President’s actions. Each such action brings the dubious decisions of Judge Cannon, who infamously worked to slow and stall Special Prosecutor Jack Smith’s prosecution of the then-former President, and, separately, several SCOTUS decisions which continue to appear to be politically influenced, into a more stark and condemnatory focus. We can also deduce that Lake continues to make questionable decisions simply by working for Trump.
The judge is Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee.
