Court Won't Halt Trump Name Removal at Kennedy Center

A federal appeals court on Friday refused to pause a judge's order requiring President Donald Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, leaving in force a deadline the performing arts center then missed, blaming thunderstorms.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the Justice Department's emergency request in a brief, unsigned order, CBS News reported. The panel directed both sides to file written arguments later this month but declined to halt the removal while the appeal proceeds.

The order capped a frantic day of legal maneuvering. Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper refused to stay his own injunction, finding the government had not shown it was likely to win on appeal or would suffer irreparable harm, according to CBS News. The Justice Department, representing Trump and his hand-picked Kennedy Center board, then turned to the appeals court.

The three-judge panel included Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee, and Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins, both named to the bench by former President Barack Obama, CNN reported. The judges noted no dissents.

Only Congress can rename the center, judge ruled

Cooper ruled last month that Trump's name had been illegally added to the institution, which Congress created as a memorial to the 35th president. He gave officials two weeks to scrub the name from the building, website and branding. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," Cooper wrote in his 94-page opinion, according to The Guardian.

The suit was brought by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex-officio member of the center's board. Her lawyers urged the appeals court to reject what they called "a frivolous stay request, filed at the eleventh hour, in a transparent effort to jam the Court and game the judicial system," CBS News reported.

Thunderstorms and a missed deadline

Cooper had ordered the center to certify compliance by 11:59 p.m. Friday. As the deadline neared, crews in hard hats erected scaffolding around the marble facade where the lettering had been affixed, then paused as a thunderstorm rolled through Washington, The Guardian reported. Onlookers gathered to cheer the workers, chanting "Take it down."

Justice Department lawyers told the court the work was "ongoing" but had been delayed by storms that posed safety risks, and said crews expected to finish in the early hours of Saturday. Executive Director Matthew Floca said in a court declaration that the government would narrowly miss the deadline, CBS News reported. The government asked for until noon Saturday to certify it had complied.

A fight over donations

In its filing to the appeals court, the Justice Department argued that reversing the name now could confuse the public and jeopardize private donations, pointing to bylaws requiring that money be returned to donors if Trump's name comes down. "All of this money, hundreds of millions of dollars, will have to be immediately returned, or not received by the Center," the department told the court, according to CNN.

Trump's allies have reshaped the venue since he returned to office, terminating board members and installing new leadership. In December, the Trump-aligned board voted to rename the complex "The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Cooper's order also blocked a plan to close the center for about two years for a $257 million renovation.

The clash is the latest courtroom setback for the administration. Federal courts have also ruled against its ban on transgender troops and struck down a $100,000 H-1B visa fee in recent weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the appeals court decide?

It denied the Justice Department's emergency request to pause a lower-court order requiring Trump's name to be removed from the Kennedy Center. The order remains in effect while the appeal continues, with briefs due later this month.

Why was the name ordered removed?

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that only Congress, which created and named the center, can rename it, and that the Trump-aligned board's renaming was illegal.

Did the Kennedy Center meet the deadline?

No. The center said thunderstorms delayed the removal work and asked for more time, telling the court it expected to finish taking the name down in the early hours of Saturday.

Who brought the lawsuit?

Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, challenged the renaming and a related plan to close the center for renovations.

Sources

Reporting compiled from court records and the cited source outlets.