By Blake Brittain

WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. Copyright Office who was dismissed by the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and other governmental officials on Thursday. In the suit, she contended that her removal was unconstitutional and sought to prevent it from taking place.

In the lawsuit, Shira Perlmutter stated that her dismissal via email on May 10 was “clearly illegal,” and she emphasized that only the U.S. Congress has the authority to remove her from her position.

The lawsuit, which was submitted to the federal district court in Washington, D.C., represents the most recent disagreement in a line of legal confrontations between Trump and federal officials whom he has aimed to remove from office since taking his oath of inauguration in January.

The White House didn’t promptly reply to requests for comments regarding the complaint. When contacted, a representative from the Copyright Office as well as an attorney representing Perlmutter chose not to comment.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court permitted Trump’s removal of two Democratic appointees from federal labor boards to stand as legal challenges continue, a move that probes the extent of presidential authority over autonomous governmental bodies.

On May 12, the Copyright Office, which is part of the Library of Congress, verified that the administration dismissed Perlmutter via email on May 10. This dismissal prompted criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who argued that Congress had “deliberately shielded” the Copyright Office from political influence.

The lawsuit stated that Perlmutter was dismissed one day following the release of an office report addressing the critical juncture where artificial intelligence meets copyright law. According to the report, the utilization of copyrighted material for training AI systems by tech firms might not consistently fall under the protection of U.S. legal statutes.

Several tech firms such as OpenAI and Meta Platforms have informed the office that mandating them to compensate copyright owners for their material might severely hamper the developing U.S. artificial intelligence sector.

Perlmutter requested the court to prevent the Trump-appointed officials from assuming their interim roles and sought a ruling confirming her continued position as the head of the Copyright Office.

(Reported by Blake Brittain in Washington; Edited by Leigh Jones and Leslie Adler)