An appeals court is keeping intact a federal judge’s ruling requiring the Kennedy Center to remove President Donald Trump’s name from its building by the end of Friday.
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a last-minute effort by the center to freeze the judge’s ruling so that it wouldn’t need to comply while more court proceedings play out.
The appeals court did not explain its reasoning for its decision in a brief, unsigned ruling. The panel included Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee; Patricia Millett, an appointee of former President Barack Obama; and Robert Wilkins, also an Obama appointee.
The judges asked for more written legal arguments to be submitted later this month over the center’s bid to pause the lower-court’s ruling that said it must remove Trump’s name from its building, website, promotional materials and other areas. But even as the legal wrangling plays out in coming weeks, the center must, for now, take steps to completely comply with the judge’s directive.
The center has the option of asking the Supreme Court to intervene on its behalf.
Under the ruling issued by US District Judge Casey Cooper last month, the performing arts venue faces an 11:59 p.m. deadline on Friday to undo its rebranding of the center to honor Trump alongside the nation’s 35th president. The center had taken steps in recent days to reverse the change in some places but kept letters spelling “The Donald J. Trump and” on the front of its building as it sought to stave off compliance with Cooper’s ruling.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
