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The former president's administration on Monday requested the US Supreme Court to allow the removal of the head of the American copyright authority.

This urgent appeal follows about six weeks after a federal appellate court in Washington decided that the director, Shira Perlmutter, could not be solely fired.

Almost one month ago, the entire District of Columbia circuit court refused to review that decision.

This legal matter is the most recent in a line of cases concerning executive authority to place preferred heads at government agencies.

The High Court has generally permitted such actions, even as legal challenges continue.

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

The government's top lawyer, D John Sauer, argued in the filing that, regardless of ties to the legislative branch, the register “exercises executive power” in overseeing copyrights.

Perlmutter alleges she was terminated in May because the former president disagreed with advice she provided to lawmakers in a report related to artificial intelligence.

She reportedly got an message from the administration informing her that her role was “terminated effective at once,” as stated by her staff.

A divided appellate panel decided that Perlmutter could retain her job while the case moves forward.

“The administration's claimed blatant meddling with the work of a congressional officer, as she carries out statutorily approved duties to advise Congress, appears to be a violation of the division of government authority,” wrote Judge Florence Pan for the appellate panel.

Justice J Michelle Childs joined the opinion. Both judges were nominated to the appeals court by Democratic President Joe Biden.

In opposition, Justice Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, wrote that Perlmutter “uses administrative power in a variety of ways.”

Perlmutter's attorneys have argued that she is a renowned intellectual property expert. She has acted as register of copyrights since ex- librarian of Congress Carla Hayden appointed her to the position in October 2020.

The former president named deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to succeed Hayden at the national library. The administration had dismissed Hayden amid criticism from conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” agenda.