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The ex- leader's government on Monday petitioned the US Supreme Court to allow the termination of the head of the US Copyright Office.

This urgent request comes roughly a month and a half after a national appeals court in Washington decided that the director, Shira Perlmutter, cannot be solely fired.

Nearly four weeks prior, the full District of Columbia circuit court refused to reconsider that ruling.

This case is the latest in a series of disputes related to executive authority to place chosen leaders at government agencies.

The Supreme Court has generally allowed such actions, even as court challenges continue.

However, this particular matter concerns an bureau inside the Library of Congress. Perlmutter serves as the register of copyrights and also counsels Congress on intellectual property issues.

The government's top lawyer, D John Sauer, stated in the filing that, despite ties to Congress, the director “exercises administrative power” in regulating intellectual property rights.

Perlmutter alleges she was fired in May because the former president disapproved with advice she gave to Congress in a report related to AI.

She allegedly got an message from the White House notifying her that her role was “terminated starting immediately,” as stated by her staff.

A divided appeals court group ruled that Perlmutter could keep her position while the case moves forward.

“The Executive's claimed blatant meddling with the duties of a congressional official, as she performs legally approved responsibilities to counsel the legislature, appears to be a breach of the separation of powers,” stated Justice Florence Pan for the appeals court.

Judge J Michelle Childs supported the ruling. Both judges were appointed to the appellate court by Democrat leader Joe Biden.

In dissent, Justice Justin Walker, a former president's nominee, argued that Perlmutter “uses administrative power in a variety of ways.”

Perlmutter's lawyers have argued that she is a well-known intellectual property expert. She has acted as copyright director since former librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed her to the position in October 2020.

The ex-leader named deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to succeed Hayden at the Library of Congress. The White House had fired Hayden following criticism from right-leaning groups that she was advancing a “woke” program.