Supreme Court Declines to Let Trump Immediately Fire Copyright Office Chief
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused an emergency request from the Trump administration to immediately remove Shira Perlmutter, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, marking a temporary setback in the White House’s push to expand presidential firing power.
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The Court left in place lower-court rulings that blocked Perlmutter’s dismissal, saying it will wait to act until after it decides two major cases this term involving the president’s authority to fire leaders of independent federal agencies. Those cases, set for arguments in the coming weeks, involve attempted removals at the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve Board.
Perlmutter’s position is housed within the Library of Congress, a legislative-branch institution, but her office carries out federal copyright policy—making the legal question more complicated. The Trump administration argued the president has broad authority to remove her; challengers say the move violates separation-of-powers protections.
Justice Clarence Thomas was the lone member of the Court who said he would have granted Trump’s request.
The Supreme Court’s eventual rulings in the related firing-power cases are likely to determine whether the administration can proceed with Perlmutter’s removal and how much control the president can exert over independent federal offices.