Shira Perlmutter Files Joint Appendix in Appeal Against Todd Blanche
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Summary
U.S. Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter has filed a 117-page joint appendix in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals as part of her legal challenge against Todd Blanche.
Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, filed a joint appendix in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on August 31, 2026. The filing is part of case number 25-5285, an appeal stemming from a legal dispute with Todd Blanche. Blanche is identified in the court documents as the person claiming to have been the acting Librarian of Congress. The case, originally documented by CourtListener, involves a challenge to an agency decision under the Administrative Procedure Act. ## The Appellate Record
The joint appendix consists of one volume totaling 117 pages. It includes several critical documents from the district court proceedings, labeled as case number 1:25-cv-01659-TJK. The primary record contains the original complaint filed on May 22, 2025, and a declaration by Perlmutter. Other materials included in the filing are:
- A transcript of a preliminary injunction hearing. * A memorandum opinion and order dated July 30, 2025. * The plaintiff's notice of appeal. * A subsequent memorandum and order from August 20, 2025. Judge Timothy J. Kelly presided over the matter in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The docket indicates the case has not yet been scheduled for oral argument in the appellate court. ## Legal Representation
Perlmutter is represented by counsel from Democracy Forward Foundation and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. The filing lists Allyson R. Scher and Brian D. Netter as counsel for the Plaintiff-Appellant. Former lead attorneys on the district court case included Donald Beaton Verrilli, Jr., who was terminated from the case on July 31, 2026. Todd Blanche and the other defendants are represented by the U.S. Department of Justice. The appellate staff from the Civil Division, including Brett A. Shumate, Michael S. Raab, Ashley C. Honold, and David L. Peters, are listed as counsel for the Defendants-Appellees. ## Procedural History
The case involves a review of an agency decision. According to the district court docket sheet included in the appendix, the nature of the suit is listed under "899 Administrative Procedure Act/Review or Appeal of Agency Decision."
The dispute centers on Blanche's role as the purported acting Librarian of Congress. The U.S. Copyright Office, which Perlmutter leads, is a department within the Library of Congress. The conflict reached a tipping point in the summer of 2025, leading to the July and August orders now being scrutinized by the D.C. Circuit. The joint appendix, assigned document number 2190729, serves as the formal collection of evidence and lower court rulings that the appellate judges will review to determine if the district court's previous decisions were legally sound. Perlmutter remains the Register of Copyrights while the appeal proceeds.