U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that the board, whose members were handpicked by Trump, cannot unilaterally change the center’s name.
BREAKING: Judge denies Kennedy Center board’s request to keep Trump’s name on the building
— MS NOW (@ms.now) 2026-06-12T17:47:10Z
https://www.ms.now/news/judge-denies-kennedy-center-boards-request-to-keep-trumps-name
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the Trump administration’s request to issue a stay on his May 29 ruling while an appeal plays out. Cooper wrote that the center had already taken steps to comply with that ruling by removing Trump’s name from some of its branding ahead of the Friday, June 12 deadline.
“These efforts undermine the notion that Defendants face irreparable harm in complying with the order in full,” Cooper wrote.
The judge had previously ruled that the Kennedy Center board of trustees — whose members were handpicked by Trump and who subsequently named him president of the organization — cannot unilaterally change the center’s name.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote.
The Trump administration also filed an appeal with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday. If the court does not issue a stay pending action on that appeal, Trump’s name will be removed from the building by Friday night.
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