In court documents, Perlmutter and her attorneys asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting Trump administration appointees from interfering with the Library of Congress and its operations.
A federal judge has ruled against Shira Perlmutter, a former Library of Congress official who sued the Trump administration for abruptly terminating her employment.
According to POLITICO, Perlmutter was fired from her position as Register of Copyrights earlier this year. The U.S. Copyright Office, housed inside the Library of Congress, maintains records of copyright registrations across the United States. Perlmutter’s attorneys have described their client as a renowned copyright expert who was attacked by the Trump administration for being too “woke.”
In her lawsuit, Perlmutter states that she worked as Register of Copyrights from October 2020 until the Trump administration came to power in January.
Shortly after taking office, Trump officials replaced then-chief Librarian of Congress, Carl Hayden—the only person, Perlmutter argued, who had full legal authority to end her employment prematurely and without good cause.
The Trump administration explained its decision to fire Hayden by claiming that she was too “woke.”
In court documents, Perlmutter and her attorneys asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting Trump administration appointees from interfering with the Library of Congress and its operations.
The lawsuit posited the recent appointment of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting Librarian of Congress as an existential threat.
“If Mr. Blanche assumes the role of Acting Librarian of Congress, the Executive Branch will gain access to reams of confidential information that belongs to Congress and that Congress has zealously guarded from disclosure, as well as privately owned copyright deposits,” Perlmutter’s attorney’s wrote in a filing.
Attorneys for the Trump administration claimed, in contrast, that the Library of Congress is “part of the Executive Branch and is subject to presidential control.”
“The Library of Congress is not an autonomous organization free from political supervision,” the administration alleged.
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), who sits on the House Administration Committee, said in a statement that the Trump administration’s actions are broadly “unlawful and unconstitutional efforts to wrest control of the Library and the Copyright Office from Congress and the American people.”
“The law is clear,” Morelle said. “The Library of Congress is a legislative branch agency, and the President has no authority to appoint an Acting Librarian or meddle in the Library’s personnel decisions.”
POLITICO notes that Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee, has reiterated his call for Congress to take swift action solidifying legislative control of the library, describing the Trump-led takeover as an “unprecedented encroachment by the White House.”
Although Perlmutter had requested a temporary restraining order, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on Wednesday said that the plaintiff has yet to establish that she will be irreparably harmed if not immediately reinstated. Furthermore, Perlmutter said that he has already given the “side-eye” to the idea that the termination of an individual employee should serve as the basis for a restraining order against the federal government.
Sources
Judge denies US Copyright Office director’s request to halt her firing
Judge refuses to temporarily block the Trump administration from removing Copyright Office director
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