Appeals Court Ruling Reinstates Shira Perlmutter as Register of US Copyrights
NEW: A federal court in DC ruled that Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights, may return to work at the Library of Congress after her attempted firing by the Administration. ALA welcomes this ruling & celebrates Perlmutter's return to the US Copyright Office: www.politico.com/live-updates...
— American Library Association (@amlibraryassoc.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
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On September 10, in a 2–1 decision, a US court of appeals moved to block the removal of Shira Perlmutter from her position as Register of Copyrights and Director of the US Copyright Office. Perlmutter had filed a lawsuit after she was fired by the Trump administration in May.
Perlmutter argues that as her position reports to the Librarian of Congress (i.e., the Legislative Branch of government), the Executive Branch does not have the authority to remove her. A lower court ruled against her earlier this year, but Perlmutter has appealed the decision. In the meantime, the September 10 ruling effectively reinstates Perlmutter, but only temporarily, as the broader battle over the legality of the firing continues.