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The former leader's government on Monday requested the US Supreme Court to permit the removal of the head of the US Copyright Office.

This emergency appeal comes about a month and a half after a federal appellate court in Washington ruled that the director, Shira Perlmutter, could not be solely fired.

Nearly four weeks prior, the entire District of Columbia circuit court declined to review that decision.

This legal matter is the latest in a line of cases related to executive authority to place chosen leaders at federal offices.

The Supreme Court has generally allowed such dismissals, even as legal challenges continue.

However, this specific case concerns an office inside the Library of Congress. Perlmutter acts as the copyright registrar and also counsels Congress on copyright issues.

The government's top lawyer, D John Sauer, stated in the filing that, regardless of connections to Congress, the register “exercises executive authority” in overseeing copyrights.

Perlmutter alleges she was terminated in May because the ex-leader disagreed with advice she provided to lawmakers in a report concerning artificial intelligence.

She reportedly got an message from the administration notifying her that her position was “terminated effective immediately,” according to her staff.

A divided appellate panel decided that Perlmutter could keep her job while the legal dispute proceeds.

“The Executive's alleged blatant meddling with the duties of a Legislative Branch official, as she carries out statutorily approved duties to counsel Congress, strikes us as a violation of the division of government authority,” wrote Judge Florence Pan for the appellate panel.

Judge J Michelle Childs joined the ruling. Both justices were appointed to the appeals court by Democrat leader Joe Biden.

In opposition, Justice Justin Walker, a former president's nominee, argued that Perlmutter “uses executive authority in a variety of ways.”

Perlmutter's lawyers have contended that she is a well-known copyright specialist. She has served as register of copyrights since ex- head librarian Carla Hayden appointed her to the role in October 2020.

The ex-leader appointed deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to replace Hayden at the Library of Congress. The administration had fired Hayden following complaints from conservatives that she was advancing a “woke” program.