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Appeals Court Keeps Trump's Name Off Kennedy Center During Appeal

The judges said the administration offered no factual proof that removing the name would cause irreparable financial harm, leaving the lower court ruling in place as the appeal moves forward.

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People walk near the tarp covered front entrance of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before the start of the 27th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Celebrating Bill Maher, Sunday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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A tarp covers the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, following a federal judge’s order to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the institution, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 20, 2026. REUTERS/Daniel Heuer

Overview

  • A three-judge panel denied a motion to restore President Donald Trump's name on July 8, 2026, saying the appellants failed to show they would suffer irreparable harm without a stay.
  • A federal judge ruled on May 29 that the Kennedy Center board lacked authority to rename the building because a 1964 statute fixes the venue's name as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
  • Workers removed the Trump letters on June 13 but a tarp and scaffolding still block the facade, and the district court has ordered status reports and set a July 28 hearing on the center's operations and the covering.
  • The Kennedy Center and Justice Department argued that donations and a new Trump-linked foundation depended on the name, but the appeals court said those fundraising claims were not supported by specific facts or evidence.
  • The full appeal of the district court decision is pending at the D.C. Circuit and the case could shape rules about presidential influence over federally chartered cultural institutions and trustees' power.