A US appeals court has thrown a wrench into the White House's attempt to oust US Copyright Office director Shira Perlmutter, ruling that the president likely has no authority to fire her.

The DC Circuit's ruling grants Perlmutter an injunction, meaning she keeps her job while the case grinds on. The court said the Copyright Act makes clear that only the Librarian of Congress, not the president, can remove the register of copyrights, adding that Trump's effort to install two executive branch officials – US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche and associate deputy attorney general Paul Perkins in the roles of librarian of Congress and register of copyrights, respectively – was "likely unlawful".

In other words, the White House can't just email the nation's top copyright official and tell h

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