A federal judge refused Wednesday to temporarily block the Trump administration from firing Shira Perlmutter, former director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that Perlmutter had not met her legal burden to show how removing her from the position would cause her to suffer irreparable harm, according to the Associated Press.
Perlmutter has sued Trump, arguing her termination by email on May 10 was unconstitutional and that only the U.S. Congress can remove her from office.
The former director, who was named to the position in 2020, still has the option of seeking a preliminary injunction. Kelly set a deadline for Thursday afternoon for her attorneys and government lawyers to present a schedule to argue and decide the matter.
Perlmutter’s lawyers claimed that President Donald Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally remove the Register of Copyrights or appoint an acting Librarian of Congress.
The WGA previously issued a statement declaring their support for the ousted official and demanding her reinstatement, saying that Trump’s firing was “unlawful.”
Trump is also being sued by NPR after he moved to defund it and PBS.
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