Trump's Name Removed From Kennedy Center Following Court Order

Overview

• Workers removed President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center façade in the early hours of Saturday after courts refused to pause a judge's order.
• Federal Judge Christopher Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress has authority to change the name of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts and ordered removal from the façade, the website and other materials.
• The Department of Justice asked for a short extension because storms could endanger workers and appealed to the D.C. Circuit, but both the trial court and the appeals court denied stays and the order was enforced.
• The removal closes a chapter that began in December when the Kennedy Center board, then chaired by President Trump and filled with his allies, voted to add his name and immediately installed new signage.
• The case raises a legal limit on executive-driven renaming of federal memorials, leaves possible reversal to appeals or congressional action, and follows a lawsuit by Rep. Joyce Beatty who criticized the government's extension request.