Shira Perlmutter, the director of the U.S. Copyright Office dismissed by the Trump administration, brought a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and other officials on Thursday. In her legal challenge, she contends her firing was unconstitutional, and it should not take effect. According to Perlmutter, she received the termination notice via email on May 10, a move she labels as “blatantly unlawful.” She firmly asserts that only the U.S. Congress has the authority to remove her from office.
The lawsuit was filed in Washington, D.C., in the federal district court, adding another chapter in the ongoing legal disputes between Trump and the federal officials he has aimed to remove since his inauguration in January. The White House has yet to respond to a request for comment on the complaint. Both a spokesperson for the Copyright Office and an attorney for Perlmutter declined to comment.
This development follows earlier reports that the Supreme Court allowed the dismissal of two Democratic members of federal labor boards by Trump to stand, while their legal challenges continue. This situation is testing the boundaries of the president’s power over independent government agencies. On May 12, it was confirmed that the administration had dismissed Perlmutter via email two days prior. This sparked a backlash from Democratic politicians who believe Congress intentionally insulated the Copyright Office from politics.
The significance becomes clear when we consider the lawsuit’s claim that Perlmutter’s dismissal came a day after the office released a report on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law. The report suggested that the use of copyrighted works by technology companies to train AI may not always be protected under U.S. law. Companies like OpenAI and Meta Platforms have voiced concerns to the office that having to compensate copyright holders could stymie the growth of the U.S. AI industry.
In her legal challenge, Perlmutter seeks to bar the Trump appointees from assuming acting positions and to declare that she remains the director of the Copyright Office.
