Consumer Financial Protection Bureau building in Washington, D.C. June 4, 2013. Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL

Updated 10:08 p.m.

A top Consumer Financial Protection Bureau official on Sunday night sued the Trump administration to block the appointment of Mick Mulvaney as the temporary director of the independent agency. The lawsuit forces a judge to confront a clash over who should rightfully lead the agency as the White House looks to nominate a permanent replacement for Richard Cordray.

Leandra English. Credit: Credit Union National Association.

Leandra English, named deputy director of the consumer bureau last week, asked a federal judge to declare that Mulvaney, director of Office of Management and Budget, is not the agency's acting director and order the Trump administration to “refrain from appointing any individual to the position of Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.”

The lawsuit comes just days after Cordray elevated English, his chief of staff, to the deputy role—a promotion that was meant to put her in line to become acting director. Hours after Cordray announced his resignation, effective Nov. 24, Trump appointed Mulvaney to lead the CFPB, setting the stage for a battle over the leadership of an agency Republicans and financial services advocates have assailed and supporters have applauded as a champion for consumers.