A three-judge panel on Wednesday rejected an effort by the Kennedy Center’s board to restore President Donald Trump’s name to the institution while it challenges a previous ruling that found the renaming unlawful and ordered it reversed.
The decision marks another legal setback for the board of trustees, chaired by Trump, in a dispute that began earlier this year when the performing arts center was renamed “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”
The high-profile addition quickly became more than a signage dispute, emerging as a symbol of Trump’s wider effort to leave his mark — and in this instance, his name — on landmarks in the nation’s capital during his final term.
In Wednesday’s order, the judges said the board had “failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump’s name stays off the building while the appeal moves forward.
The board contended that removing the name “threatens to impede” fundraising, but the panel said that argument was not backed by “specific facts or evidence.”
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
A federal judge had ruled earlier this year that the renaming was illegal, and Trump’s name was taken down from the building’s white marble facade in June.
