Kennedy Center board asks appeals court to block Trump name removal
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The Kennedy Center board of directors on Friday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block a judge’s order requiring references to President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the institution’s signs and official materials because a sign bearing Trump’s name remained visible on the building’s facade late Friday afternoon.
In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the board requested both a stay pending appeal and an emergency administrative stay, arguing that physical changes should not be made to the building before appellate judges review the dispute.
The file asks the court to issue an administrative stay until 19:00 on Friday.
Fox News Digital observed Friday afternoon that Trump’s name remained hanging on the Kennedy Center facade as of 5:30 PM ET, with scaffolding erected around parts of the signs.
Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s request to stay enforcement of its decision while the appeal is pending, finding that the defendants had not demonstrated a likelihood of success on appeal or irreparable harm.
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People watch construction workers erect scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, DC. The Kennedy Center board filed an emergency appeal to block a court order requiring Trump’s name to be removed, but a judge denied the request. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Kennedy Center board argued in its emergency filing that removing and potentially reinstalling the signs would force it to incur irrecoverable costs if an appeal were to result.
The board also argued that removing Trump’s name could harm fundraising efforts and create public confusion if the Center was renamed after a successful appeal. The motion also argues that the case raises important questions about the board’s authority and whether Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, has the right to sue.
The latest filing stems from Cooper’s May 29 decision that Congress, not the Kennedy Center board, has authority over the institution’s name. The judge ordered Trump’s name removed from physical signs, digital materials and official branding and ordered the Center to comply within 14 days.
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Construction workers erect scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Performing Arts Center sign in Washington, D.C., on Friday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In a lengthy opinion, Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center’s governing charter “makes clear” that the institution will be named after President John F. Kennedy and cannot be officially renamed by unilateral board decision.
The judge concluded that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and only Congress could change it.
The decision followed a lawsuit filed by Beatty, who served as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board of directors.
Following the May 29 decision, Kennedy Center Vice President for Public Affairs Roma Daravi said the board intends to appeal.
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Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, speaks near scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday as construction workers work nearby. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“While the fact remains that the Center is in need of urgent and significant restoration, a fact that even the plaintiff has acknowledged, we will carefully review the decision,” Daravi told Fox News Digital at the time.
“With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are available and we are committed to pursuing every legal avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark that all Americans can enjoy.”
Beatty praised the decision, saying in his statement that the Kennedy Center “belongs to the American people, not Donald Trump.”
Trump’s name was added to the venue in December after a unanimous vote from the board of directors. Shortly thereafter, a sign bearing the president’s name was placed over the existing Kennedy Center sign.
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As of Friday afternoon, the appeals court had not publicly ruled on the emergency request, leaving unresolved whether Trump’s name would remain in place beyond the court-ordered compliance period.
The emergency appeal asks the D.C. Circuit to maintain the status quo while it considers the board’s broader challenge to Cooper’s decision.
A representative for the White House and the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
