A federal appeals court rejected the Kennedy Center board’s latest effort to restore President Trump’s name to the performing arts complex on Wednesday, upholding a lower court’s order that the signage dispute must remain resolved in Trump’s name being kept off the building.
A three-judge panel denied a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling, which found that the Kennedy Center board lacked authority to rename the landmark venue. The decision means Trump’s name will remain off the facade and all official branding while the board continues its appeal on the merits of the case.
Judge Cooper’s original ruling stated that Congress designated the Kennedy Center for President John F. Kennedy in 1964, one year after his assassination, and that only Congress could authorize a name change. The judge wrote in his 94-page decision that it was “crystal clear” the arts complex was named for the late president.
The Kennedy Center board, composed of Trump-appointed members, voted in December 2025 to rename the venue “The Donald J. Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.” Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), an ex officio board member, challenged the renaming in federal court, arguing the decision violated federal law.
In its appeal to Wednesday’s decision, the Justice Department and Kennedy Center argued that many donors and companies had committed millions of dollars specifically contingent on Trump’s name appearing on the building’s facade. They contended that a new entity, the Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, depended on the name being visible and that foundation bylaws required funds be returned if the naming changed.
The appellate judges rejected this argument as insufficient. “The Kennedy Center board have failed to support this assertion with any specific facts or evidence,” the court wrote. “They offer only the conclusory assertions of the Kennedy Center’s Executive Director that were made in a factually unsupported declaration.” The judges also noted the board never raised the financial contention in the lower court proceedings, calling it “a post hoc argument” that cannot demonstrate an abuse of discretion.
Trump’s name was physically removed from the Kennedy Center’s facade in mid-June 2026, after the board missed an initial deadline set by Judge Cooper. A tarp now covers the front of the building where the name previously appeared, with the original inscription “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” underneath. The administration filed a compliance notice confirming the removal on June 13.
The appellate court’s decision on Wednesday was limited to the motion for a stay and did not address the broader merits of the Kennedy Center board’s appeal. That appeal remains pending, meaning the legal battle over the naming authority is expected to continue through the court system.
Sources
- Deadline — federal appeals court rejection of Kennedy Center’s motion for a stay, July 8, 2026
- NPR — appeals court denial of Trump’s request to halt removal of name, July 8, 2026
- The New York Times — Trump’s name must remain off Kennedy Center amid appeal, July 8, 2026
- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty press release — Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling and authority analysis
- Spectrum News — Judge Cooper’s May 29 ruling requiring removal within 14 days
- The Guardian — appeals court ruling that Trump’s appeal can continue
