Judge refuses to temporarily block the Trump administration from removing Copyright Office director
May 28, 2025
A federal judge has refused to temporarily block the Trump administration from removing and replacing the director of the U.S. Copyright Office. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled Wednesday that the office director, Shira Perlmutter, hasn’t met her legal burden to show how removing her from the position would cause her to suffer irreparable harm. Kelly’s refusal to issue a temporary restraining order isn’t the final word in the lawsuit that Perlmutter filed last Thursday. Perlmutter’s attorneys say she is a renowned copyright expert who also has served as Register of Copyrights since the Librarian of Congress appointed her to the job in October 2020.
