A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake cannot unilaterally fire Voice of America Director Michael Abramowitz, as it violates the law requiring backing from an advisory panel. The judge also determined that Abramowitz’s attempted reassignment was illegal. The court rebuffed arguments from the Justice Department regarding executive power and the constitutionality of protecting Voice of America’s journalistic independence. Furthermore, the judge cited that Congress had established safeguards to insulate the network from political pressure, which Lake was found to be circumventing. The Trump administration, under Lake, had been actively trying to reduce the network’s operations and exert greater ideological control.
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A federal judge in New Hampshire has ruled to certify a class-action lawsuit and issue a preliminary injunction against President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. This ruling, which will protect all children affected by the order, follows a Supreme Court decision that limited the scope of nationwide injunctions and gave lower courts a deadline to act. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a pregnant woman and parents of infants, challenges the executive order’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment. The judge found the government’s arguments unpersuasive and determined that the deprivation of U.S. citizenship would cause irreparable harm.
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A federal judge recently released the written details of a ruling that rebuked the Trump administration’s cancellation of National Institutes of Health grants, deeming the action illegal. Despite limitations imposed by subsequent Supreme Court decisions, the court maintains that the government’s actions were arbitrary and capricious. The ruling highlights that the government failed to establish a clear justification for the grant cancellations, leading to officials canceling grants without evaluating their scientific merit. This lack of clear policy and subsequent attempts to retroactively justify the actions prompted several officials to resign.
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A federal judge temporarily halted mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after a whistleblower alleged that a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee, Gavin Kliger, forced staff to work 36 consecutive hours to expedite the process, disregarding a court-ordered assessment. Kliger, who boasts of leaving a high-paying Silicon Valley job, allegedly berated employees and ignored the requirement for individual assessments before termination. This action resulted in the dismissal of approximately 1,500 to 1,700 CFPB employees, leaving only a handful to manage the agency’s responsibilities. The judge’s intervention highlights concerns over the speed and legality of the layoffs.
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John Q. Hosedrinker