Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the latest drama involving President Donald Trump and the Library of Congress, and I’ve got to say, it’s a wild ride. The Supreme Court has rejected Trump’s effort to fire Shira Perlmutter, the director of the US Copyright Office, at least for now. This means Perlmutter gets to keep her job while the lower courts review her case, all thanks to the court’s recent blockbuster decisions on presidential power. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up – the Supreme Court is like the referee in a game of political football.
The story goes that Trump launched a battle with the Library of Congress last spring, removing the former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, and trying to install one of his own attorneys, Todd Blanche, as the acting librarian. He also tried to fire Perlmutter, but she’s not going down without a fight. Her argument is that her position is part of the legislative branch, which should put her out of Trump’s reach. Bless their hearts, it’s like they think they can just waltz in and start firing people willy-nilly.
Last fall, the Supreme Court paused the action in the Perlmutter case while they resolved two other major cases dealing with presidential power. On Monday, they resolved those cases, giving the president broad power to remove leadership at independent agencies within the executive branch. But Perlmutter’s argument is that her position is different, and the court seems to be leaning in her favor. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’ve got a full-blown drama on our hands.
The dispute got so heated that several Trump loyalists showed up at the Library of Congress building with a letter from the president, trying to take charge. But library officials were all, “Uh, no, you’re not the boss of us,” and filed a lawsuit instead. Perlmutter claimed she got on Trump’s bad side with a report about copyrighted works used to train AI models, and the next thing she knew, she was getting an email from a White House official saying she was terminated. Talk about a bad day at the office.
In a 2-1 decision earlier this year, a panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals said that the register of copyrights is indeed part of the legislative branch, meaning only a Senate-confirmed Librarian of Congress can remove her, not the president. US Circuit Judge Florence Pan wrote, “The executive’s alleged blatant interference with the work of a legislative branch official… strikes us as a violation of the separation of powers.” Ouch, that’s gotta sting.
The Trump administration appealed, arguing that the DC Circuit’s decision “contravenes settled precedent and misconceives the Librarian’s and Register’s legal status.” But for now, Perlmutter gets to stay in her job, and Trump has to wait and see what happens next. As I finish my coffee, I’ve got to say, this whole thing is a reminder that in politics, you’ve got to expect the unexpected. And that’s a wrap, folks – stay tuned for the next episode of “As the Library of Congress Turns” 📚💼.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
