In a significant legal development, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a last-minute attempt by the Trump administration to delay the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The court's decision means the name must be taken down from the iconic Washington D.C. landmark by Friday night.
Workers erect scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, June 12, 2026.
Andrew Leyden | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The emergency appeal sought to suspend a May 29 order from D.C. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper, which mandated the name's removal. However, the three-judge panel denied the motion for an immediate administrative stay, leaving Cooper's ruling intact for the time being.
While the name must be removed, the appeals court has not definitively ruled on the legality of the renaming. The Department of Justice can still pursue its appeal, and if successful, Trump's name could potentially be restored to the performing arts center.
The legal battle stems from the center's renaming to the Trump Kennedy Center in December, a move initiated after President Trump appointed himself a trustee and subsequently removed several board members. Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio trustee, filed a lawsuit arguing that Congress, not the Board, has the authority to change the center's name. Judge Cooper sided with Beatty, stating that the center's organic statute clearly designates it to be named for President John F. Kennedy.
The Department of Justice had argued against the immediate removal, suggesting it was illogical to change the name only to potentially revert it later. They cited that substantial steps had already been taken to comply with the order, including removing the president's name from official materials.
The appeals panel, comprised of Judges Gregory Katsas, Patricia Millett, and Robert Wilkins, did not provide an immediate explanation for their decision but has set deadlines for further filings. Rep. Beatty's legal team urged the court to deny the stay, characterizing the DOJ's request as a "frivolous gambit" filed at the "eleventh hour" after initially appearing to comply with the court's order.
