2026年3月8日 / 美国东部时间凌晨1:18 / CBS/美联社
联邦法官周六裁定，特朗普总统提名领导美国全球媒体署（USAGM）的 Kari Lake 无权采取大规模解散美国之音（VOA）的行动。该裁决对VOA运营方面的具体影响尚不清楚。
美国之音自二战期间成立以来，一直向全球各国传播新闻报道。在 Lake 终止合同并解雇大部分员工后，该机构目前仅以精简人员的形式，用少数几种语言进行运作。
Lake 被特朗普选中，以实际上领导监督美国之音及自由欧洲电台/自由广播电台等其他服务的机构。但她尚未获得参议院对其职位的确认，而Lamberth法官表示，由于法律规定禁止未经资格审查的政府任命，她无权以该身份行事。
美国联邦地区法院法官Royce C. Lamberth写道：”只有《任命条款》或《空缺职位法》规定的专属结构才能授权担任主要官员，而Lake既不符合该法规也不符合宪法的要求。”
Lamberth实际上撤销了Lake在2025年7月31日担任USAGM首席执行官至2025年11月19日转为高级顾问期间所采取的所有行动。这包括美国之音和USAGM其他部门的数百次裁员。USAGM被视为独立的联邦机构。
Lake在向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻提供的声明中抨击了这一裁决，并表示将提起上诉。
“美国人民赋予特朗普总统削减臃肿官僚机构、消除浪费并恢复政府问责制的授权，”Lake说，”一名活动分子法官正试图阻挠USAGM的这些努力。Lamberth法官有活动分子裁决的先例——此案也不例外。我们强烈反对这一决定，并将上诉。”
1/1 跳过广告 广告后继续观看
Lamberth是在Patsy Widakuswara（美国之音白宫分社社长）及同事Kate Neeper和Jessica Jerreat提起的诉讼中做出上述裁决的。她们是被Lake解雇的员工之一，并一直在为反对这些行动而斗争。
“我们感到得到了伸张，深表感激，”这些记者在一份声明中表示。她们称对Lake的裁决”是纠正她对我们所热爱的美国机构造成损害的有力一步”。她们表示，目前仍在努力确定这一行动对职业生涯陷入不确定状态的同事们意味着什么。
美国之音的支持者称其为美国”软实力”的范例，向政府控制信息流通的国家提供无偏新闻报道。Lake则认为，这些政府运营的新闻机构浪费资源，其内容应推广政府观点。
无国界记者组织表示，Lamberth的裁决证实了该组织的观点——即政府采取非法行动削弱了美国之音。但该组织北美分部执行董事Clayton Weimers表示，要确保美国之音的记者能够重返工作岗位，仍有更多工作要做。
“这个案子证明，为新闻自由而战至关重要，”Weimers说。
Lake是特朗普的忠实拥护者，她在2022年竞选亚利桑那州州长和2024年竞选美国参议院均失利。特朗普最初任命她为美国之音主任，之后转而试图让她担任首席执行官。
美国之音于1942年首次开始广播。截至2024年，它通过广播、电视和网络以49种语言向国际社会播报新闻，每周估计有3.54亿受众。目前尚不清楚裁员对其覆盖范围的具体影响。
Judge voids Kari Lake’s actions as acting CEO of U.S. media agency
March 8, 2026 / 1:18 AM EST / CBS/AP
A federal judge ruled Saturday that Kari Lake, President Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, did not have legal authority to take the actions she’s done to largely dismantle the Voice of America. The decision’s effect on VOA operations was not immediately clear.
Voice of America, which has transmitted news coverage to countries around the world since its formation during World War II, is operating with a skeleton staff in only a handful of languages after Lake terminated contracts and laid off most of its employees.
Lake had been chosen by Mr. Trump to effectively lead the agency that oversees Voice of America and other services like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. But she has not received Senate confirmation for her role, and Lamberth said she did not have authority to act in that capacity due to laws that guard against unqualified government appointments.
“Only the Appointments Clause or the Vacancies Act’s exclusive structure may authorize service as a principal officer, and Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution,” U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote.
Lamberth effectively voided all the actions Lake took when she assumed the CEO role at USAGM on July 31, 2025, until she moved to a senior adviser role on Nov. 19, 2025. That would include the hundreds of layoffs at Voice of America and other USAGM departments. USAGM is considered an independent federal agency.
In a statement provided to CBS News, Lake blasted the decision and said she would appeal.
“The American people gave President Trump a mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government,” Lake said. “An activist judge is trying to stand in the way of those efforts at USAGM. Judge Lamberth has a pattern of activist rulings — and this case is no different. We strongly disagree with this decision and will appeal.”
1/1 Skip Ad Continue watching after the ad
Lamberth was ruling on a lawsuit filed by Patsy Widakuswara, Voice of America’s White House bureau chief, and colleagues Kate Neeper and Jessica Jerreat. They were among the employees laid off by Lake and have been fighting the actions.
“We feel vindicated and deeply grateful,” the journalists said in a statement. They said the ruling against Lake “is a powerful step toward undoing the damage she has inflicted on this American institution that we love.” They said they are still trying to determine what the action effectively means for colleagues whose careers have been in limbo.
Proponents of Voice of America call it an example of the nation’s “soft power” that offers unbiased news coverage to countries where governments control the flow of information. Lake has contended the government-run news outlets are wasteful and their outputs should promote the administration’s views.
Reporters Without Borders said Lamberth’s decision affirmed what it believed — that the administration acted unlawfully to gut the VOA. But there’s still more to be done to ensure VOA’s journalists can get back to work, said Clayton Weimers, executive director of the organization’s North American branch.
“This case is proof that fighting for press freedom matters,” Weimers said.
Lake is a Trump loyalist who lost a campaign for Arizona governor in 2022 and U.S. Senate in 2024. Mr. Trump had initially tapped her to be director of Voice of America, before eventually pivoting and attempting to install her as CEO.
Voice of America first began broadcasting in 1942. As of 2024, it broadcast news internationally in 49 languages on radio, television and online, to an audience of an estimated 354 million people per week. It’s unclear how the staffing cuts have since impacted its reach.
发表回复