President Donald Trump’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center in Washington by Friday night, as a federal appeals court rejected a last-minute bid to block a lower-court judge’s order. The ruling upholds a decision that the Center’s name can only be changed by Congress. This comes as scaffolding has been erected, signaling preparations for the name’s removal.
Workers erect scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, June 12, 2026. (Andrew Leyden | Bloomberg | Getty Images)
In a significant legal and symbolic victory, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rejected a final attempt by the Trump administration to delay the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the iconic Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The ruling means the name must be removed from the facade by Friday night, capping a legal battle over the renaming of the performing arts venue.
The appeals court denied a request for an immediate administrative stay, effectively upholding a lower court's order. This decision comes as workers have already begun erecting scaffolding on the building, signaling preparations for the name's removal. The Department of Justice had argued that it made no sense to alter the Center's name now, only to potentially revert it after a successful appeal. However, the three-judge panel, which included judges appointed by both Trump and former President Barack Obama, did not grant the administration's plea for a delay.
Workers erect scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, June 12, 2026. (Andrew Leyden | Bloomberg | Getty Images)
Earlier on Friday, D.C. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper had also refused to suspend his May 29 ruling, which mandated the removal of Trump's name by the end of the week. Judge Cooper stated that the defendants had failed to meet the burden of proof required to justify a stay pending appeal, particularly regarding the likelihood of success on the merits of their case. He also noted that the administration had already taken substantial steps toward compliance and that a stay would not serve the public interest, as it would perpetuate unlawful governmental action.
The legal saga began after the Kennedy Center was renamed the Trump Kennedy Center in December, following Trump's appointment of himself as a trustee and his removal of several board members. Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center, filed a lawsuit to block the renaming, arguing that Congress, not the Board, has the authority to change the Center's name. Cooper's original ruling emphasized this point, stating, "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Beatty's lawyers had urged the court to deny the administration's eleventh-hour request for a stay, calling it frivolous and highlighting that the defendants had initially chosen to comply with the order before reversing course. The appeals court has now set deadlines for further filings, with Beatty's legal team due to respond to the DOJ's emergency motion by June 22, and the DOJ expected to file any reply by June 29.
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