# Does the President’s Removal Power Extend to the Voice of America?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/does-the-presidents-removal-power-extend-to-the-voice-of-america/
- Published: 2026-11-11T02:25:47+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T03:25:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/10/does-the-presidents-removal-power-extend-to-the-voice-of-america/
- Topics: Americas, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Court blocks Abramowitz’s removal without board approval.
- Panel upholds Congress’s protection for VOA’s leadership.
- Ruling tests the limits of presidential removal powers.

## Summary

The DC Circuit has upheld a permanent injunction preventing the US Agency for Global Media from removing Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz without approval from a separate advisory board. The ruling finds that Congress may protect the VOA’s journalistic independence through this arrangement, setting up a possible dispute over how far presidential removal powers extend.

The court rejected the Justice Department’s arguments that federal district courts lacked jurisdiction and that the removal protection was unconstitutional. Congress gave a seven-member, Senate-confirmed and bipartisan International Broadcasting Advisory Board authority to appoint and remove the VOA head; the panel said this preserves presidential control through a chain of supervision. The article notes the practical effect is that the President cannot replace Abramowitz without the board’s approval.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.