A three-judge panel has denied a request from the Kennedy Center’s board to keep President Donald Trump’s name on the institution while the board appeals an earlier ruling that dubbed the name change illegal and had it rescinded.
It is another setback for the board of trustees, of which Trump is Chairman, in a saga that began earlier this year when the Kennedy Center became “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” The conspicuous addition, and ensuing legal battle, became symbolic of Trump’s broader push to imprint his name on the nation’s capitol in his final term.
A federal judge earlier this year ruled that the name change was illegal, and Trump’s name was removed from the building’s white marble facade in June.
However, the board had argued that the removal “threatens to impede” fundraising efforts, but the judges found that claim came without the support of “specific facts or evidence.”

The panel of judges wrote that the request “failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump’s name remains off the building through the appeal process.
Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. Trump’s name was quickly added to the building.
In his ruling that only Congress could make changes to the Kennedy Center’s name, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
Even as the Kennedy Center has fought efforts to remove Trump’s name from the building, it has taken steps to comply with Cooper’s initial ruling. A June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name and an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
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