Dont ComplyCourthouse News reports that a three-judge D.C. Circuit panel ruled on a Tuesday that the U.S. Agency for Global Media cannot unilaterally remove Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz without approval from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. The panel upheld U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's permanent injunction. Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote that Congress has constitutional authority to vest removal power in the board. According to the report, the agency's CEO, Kari Lake, placed Abramowitz on administrative leave and later fired him for refusing a reassignment. The Justice Department argued that requiring board approval violates separation of powers, but the court rejected that argument. The board has lacked a quorum since the president removed six of its seven members, per the outlet. No response from the agency was reported.
Why it matters
The ruling limits the executive branch's ability to remove the head of a government-funded news network outside the process Congress set. It also leaves the removal question tied to an advisory board that, according to the report, lacks a quorum.
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