Court denies emergency appeal to keep Donald Trump's name on Kennedy Center facade

A federal appeals court in Washington denied an emergency request to pause a lower-court order requiring Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the Kennedy Center facade, and workers began taking down the signage early Saturday.

The ruling keeps in place U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s order that the name addition was illegal and that only Congress can rename the federally designated John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Cooper gave the center two weeks to comply.

AP reported that removal work began shortly after midnight, with scaffolding and tarps around the building and portions of the signage dismantled by about 3:30 a.m. It was not immediately clear whether the removal was complete.

How the dispute escalated

The fight over the building’s name grew out of a board vote last year to add Trump’s name to the center, according to prior coverage. Rep. Joyce Beatty later sued over the change.

Trump’s legal team and Kennedy Center board members he appointed sought the emergency pause after Cooper’s ruling, but the D.C. appeals court declined to stop the removal order.

What the ruling means

The decision moves the dispute from a naming fight into active compliance with the court order. Coverage also says the Kennedy Center had already been updating its communications, website and promotional materials to remove Trump’s name.

Cooper’s ruling also blocked a planned $257 million renovation plan proposed under Trump’s leadership.

What comes next

The immediate questions are whether removal will be finished, whether Trump’s team will seek another appellate or Supreme Court stay, and whether the Kennedy Center will issue a formal statement on compliance.

The case also remains part of a broader dispute over who has the authority to rename federally designated memorial institutions and how far a board can go without Congress.