Battle Over US Copyright Office Director Heats Up

A federal judge declined to block the Trump administration's move to replace US Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter. The lawsuit, challenging her removal and replacement with Paul Perkins, remains unresolved. Perlmutter's legal team argues the president lacks power to remove her without Congress's involvement.

In a heated legal battle, a federal judge on Wednesday denied a request to temporarily halt the Trump administration's efforts to remove Shira Perlmutter as the director of the US Copyright Office.

US District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that Perlmutter, appointed as Register of Copyrights in October 2020, failed to demonstrate how her removal would cause irreparable harm, though the lawsuit remains ongoing. The administration has moved to replace Perlmutter with Paul Perkins, a Justice Department attorney.

The case pivots on accusations that the presidency lacks unilateral authority to dismiss the Register of Copyrights or to appoint an acting Librarian of Congress, following the controversial replacement of Carla Hayden by Todd Blanche.