UMVA has learned that the Kennedy Center board raced to a federal appeals court Friday, pleading for a temporary halt to a judge’s order that would strip President Donald Trump’s name from the institution’s iconic signage.
In a frantic emergency motion, the board begged the judges to freeze any physical changes until appellate reviewers could weigh in, arguing that dismantling the signage only to rebuild it later would saddle the Center with unrecoverable costs.
By late afternoon, the building’s façade still bore Trump’s name, illuminated against a backdrop of scaffolding, a stark visual reminder of the legal tug‑of‑war unfolding above Washington’s cultural heart.
Hours later, a three‑judge panel of the D.C. Circuit denied the board’s request for an immediate administrative stay, refusing to pause enforcement of the district court’s decree while the appeal proceeds.
The panel ordered the parties to respond to the broader stay‑pending‑appeal motion by June 22, with replies due by June 29, extending the courtroom drama well into the summer.
Earlier that week, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper had ruled that only Congress, not the board, holds the authority to name the Kennedy Center, directing the removal of Trump’s name from all physical and digital branding within 14 days.
Cooper’s opinion declared that the Center’s governing statute “makes crystal clear” it must bear President John F. Kennedy’s name, and that any unilateral renaming effort oversteps the board’s power.
The lawsuit, filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member, argued that Congress bestowed the Kennedy Center’s name and therefore alone can alter it.
In its emergency filing, the board warned that stripping the name could cripple fundraising, sow public confusion, and force costly reconstruction if the appeal ultimately succeeds.
Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi responded to the ruling with resolve, noting the Center’s urgent need for restoration and emphasizing that the institution remains a national cultural landmark for all Americans.
Beatty hailed the decision, asserting that the Kennedy Center belongs to the American people, not to any individual president.
