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The former leader's administration on Monday petitioned the nation's highest court to allow the removal of the director of the American copyright authority.

This emergency appeal comes about six weeks after a federal appeals court in Washington ruled that the director, Shira Perlmutter, could not be solely fired.

Almost four weeks ago, the full District of Columbia circuit court refused to review that ruling.

This case is the latest in a line of disputes related to executive authority to appoint preferred heads at government offices.

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

However, this specific case concerns an office inside the national library. Perlmutter serves as the copyright registrar and also counsels the legislature on intellectual property matters.

The solicitor general, D John Sauer, argued in the legal document that, despite connections to the legislative branch, the director “wields administrative power” in regulating intellectual property rights.

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

She allegedly got an email from the administration informing her that her position was “terminated starting at once,” according to her staff.

A split appeals court panel ruled that Perlmutter could keep her position while the legal dispute proceeds.

“The Executive's claimed blatant interference with the duties of a congressional officer, as she carries out legally approved duties to advise Congress, strikes us as a violation of the division of government authority,” stated Judge 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 opposition, Judge Justin Walker, a former president's nominee, wrote that Perlmutter “exercises administrative power in a host of ways.”

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

The former president appointed deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to replace Hayden at the Library of Congress. The administration had dismissed Hayden following complaints from right-leaning groups that she was advancing a “progressive” program.