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The ex- president's government on Monday petitioned the nation's highest court to permit the termination of the director of the US Copyright Office.

This urgent request comes roughly six weeks after a national appellate court in Washington decided that the director, Shira Perlmutter, cannot be unilaterally dismissed.

Almost four weeks prior, the entire District of Columbia circuit court declined to reconsider that ruling.

This case is the most recent in a series of disputes related to executive power to appoint chosen heads at government offices.

The High Court has mostly allowed such dismissals, even as court challenges continue.

However, this specific case involves an bureau within the Library of Congress. Perlmutter serves as the copyright registrar and also counsels Congress on intellectual property issues.

The solicitor general, D John Sauer, argued in the legal document that, despite ties to the legislative branch, the director “exercises executive power” in overseeing copyrights.

Perlmutter claims she was terminated in May because the former president disapproved with recommendations she provided to lawmakers in a report related to AI.

She reportedly got an message from the administration notifying her that her position was “terminated starting at once,” as stated by her office.

A split appellate panel ruled that Perlmutter could retain her job while the legal dispute proceeds.

“The Executive's claimed obvious meddling with the work of a congressional officer, as she carries out statutorily approved duties to counsel the legislature, strikes us as a breach of the division of government authority,” stated Judge Florence Pan for the appellate panel.

Judge J Michelle Childs joined the opinion. Both justices were nominated to the appellate court by Democratic President Joe Biden.

In dissent, Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, wrote that Perlmutter “exercises administrative power in a host of manners.”

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

The former president named assistant attorney general Todd Blanche to replace Hayden at the national library. The administration had dismissed Hayden amid criticism from right-leaning groups that she was promoting a “woke” program.