Judge keeps order in place to remove Trump's name from Kennedy Centre

People gather outside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts as workers prepare to remove lettering from the facade, following a federal judge’s order to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the institution, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 12, 2026.

| Photo Credit: Reuters

A ​federal judge in Washington on Friday (June 12, 2026) declined a request to temporarily ‌pause an order to remove President Donald Trump’s ​name from the Kennedy Centre for the Performing ⁠Arts.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said he would not lift the order while a federal appeals court considers his ruling that ‌only Congress could rename the venue memorializing former President John F. Kennedy in the nation’s capital.

The ‌Trump administration appealed the order to the ‌U.S. Court ⁠of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which ⁠also rejected the government’s pause request later on Friday (June 12, 2026).

Attorneys for Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who brought the lawsuit, did not ​immediately respond to a request ‌for comment, nor did spokespersons for the Justice Department, the White House and the Kennedy Centre.

Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename ‌the arts centre. His order had required Mr. Trump’s name ​to be removed from the building’s facade, its website and other materials by 11:59 p.m. ET ⁠on Friday (June 12, 2026).

Lawyers for the administration had asked the appeals court to pause the order, arguing: “It does not make sense ‌to alter the Centre’s name and signage now, only to potentially revert the name again after what should be a successful appeal.”

The Kennedy Centre opened in 1971 as a living memorial to the late president, who was slain in 1963. After Mr. Trump last year replaced several ‌members of the board, the group voted in December to alter ​the centre’s name to include him.

Mr. Trump in February announced a two-year closure of the Centre ⁠for a major renovation effort. The Republican leader has made a ⁠broader push to reshape Washington’s monumental core, including plans for a 250-foot (76-meter) arch and a 90,000-square-foot ballroom ‌at the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House.

Published - June 13, 2026 07:16 am IST