A lower court’s ruling that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was named after another late president of the United States, John F. Kennedy, is not being appealed by President Donald Trump, a federal appeals court has ruled.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia made the decision Wednesday.
Trump’s name was taken off the Kennedy Center in June after a federal judge found that the board of the Kennedy Center lacked the legal power to change the center’s name without the approval of Congress.
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Appeals Court Rejects Emergency Request
Trump and the board of the Kennedy Center requested the lower court’s decision be put on hold until the appeals court decides on the case.
The appellate panel rejected that argument, suggesting the appellants did not make a case that they would be “irreparably injured” by Trump’s name being kept off the building until the appeal was heard.
The judges wrote:
“Since that removal has already occurred … a stay would not avert those harms (even assuming they would qualify as irreparable).”
The court also dismissed claims that the Kennedy Center would be “materially impaired” in its fundraising without the Trump being restored.
The ruling says Trump and the board failed to “provide specific facts and evidence” for those claims.
Fundraising Argument Rejected
The Kennedy Center and Justice Department lawyers argued that removing Trump’s name threatened fundraising efforts and could contribute to the institution’s financial decline.
They also claimed a separate fundraising organization called “The Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation” could lose donations or be forced to return pledged money if Trump’s name remained off the building.
The appeals court dismissed that argument, noting it had not been presented before the district court.
“Appellants never raised that factual contention in district court, and they have given no explanation for failing to do so,” the panel wrote.
“Such a post hoc argument cannot demonstrate an abuse of discretion by the district court.”
Lower Court Ruled Congress Controls the Kennedy Center’s Name
The latest decision leaves in place an order issued on May 29 by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper.
In that ruling, Cooper concluded that federal law clearly establishes the institution’s official name as The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and that the board lacked authority to change it.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote.
He also stated that the Kennedy Center’s governing statute makes it “crystal clear” that the center is to be named for President John F. Kennedy only.
The May ruling ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building’s exterior, the deletion of his name from the Kennedy Center’s official website, and the withdrawal of trademark applications that incorporated Trump’s name into the institution’s title.
Workers removed “Donald J. Trump” from the building on June 13, although large tarps continue to cover that section of the façade.
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Lawsuit Filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty
A lawsuit was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who was upset by the Kennedy Center board’s decision to include Trump’s name on the board in December.
But Beatty said that the action was in defiance of federal law because Congress never approved the name change.
Beatty welcomed the ruling Wednesday, which was an appellate decision.
“Today’s ruling again affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful,” she said.
“His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people. Now it is time for the Trump administration to accept this, comply with the law, and take the tarps down.”
Attorneys representing Beatty also praised the decision, saying it confirms that the Kennedy Center should continue operating under the name established by Congress.
Appeal Continues
Wednesday’s order does not address the underlying appeal challenging Judge Cooper’s May order.
Instead, it will overturn Trump’s order to temporarily halt that decision during the appeal.
The same appellate court panel made up of Judges Gregory Katsas, Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins will examine the appeal on its merits.
Millett and Wilkins were appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Katsas was appointed by Trump.
The Justice Department, which is representing Trump and the Kennedy Center board in the case, hasn’t made a comment since Wednesday’s ruling was issued.
Background to the Dispute
The Kennedy Center’s board voted in December 2025 to rename the institution “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Trump made the move in the wake of his ousting of trustees and his own subsequent appointment to the board—and then becoming its chairman.
Judge Cooper later determined that the board acted beyond its legal bounds when it made that change without permission from Congress.
Trump’s name will not be displayed at the Kennedy Center as a legal battle continues while the appeals process proceeds.
