Former Copyright Office chief sues Trump admin over firing

The U.S. Copyright Office chief recently fired by the Trump administration has filed a lawsuit in response, arguing the constitutional separation of powers was violated in her dismissal. 

Shira Perlmutter, the former head of the Copyright Office, which is under the Library of Congress, was fired earlier this month by the White House. She received an email that said, “your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated effective immediately.”

Perlmutter was hired for the post in October 2020 by the former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who was fired by the Trump administration days before the Copyright Office head was. She sued administration officials on Thursday, arguing that only Hayden could legally fire her, Politico reported.

“Congress vested the Librarian of Congress—not the President—with the power to appoint, and therefore to remove, the Register of Copyrights,” according to the lawsuit. “Accordingly, the President’s attempt to remove Ms. Perlmutter was unlawful and ineffective.”

Then-President Obama nominated Hayden, who became the Librarian of Congress upon her Senate confirmation in 2016. Before being hired at the Copyright Office, Hayden was a policy director at the Patent and Trademark Office.