National

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

By Blake Brittain Reuters
Workers prepare to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
Workers prepare to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno Ken Cedeno Reuters

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WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Washington on Friday declined U.S. President Donald Trump's request to temporarily pause an order to remove Trump's name from the Kennedy Center 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 famed venue in the nation's capital memorializing former President John F. Kennedy.

The Trump administration has also appealed the order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter)

A person waves an American flag as workers set up scaffolding to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
A person waves an American flag as workers set up scaffolding to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Jonathan Ernst Reuters
Workers set up scaffolding to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Workers set up scaffolding to remove lettering from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, 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. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Jonathan Ernst Reuters
Dark storm clouds gather over the Kennedy Center in the hours before a federal judge’s deadline to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Dark storm clouds gather over the Kennedy Center in the hours before a federal judge’s deadline to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Jonathan Ernst Reuters
Dark storm clouds gather over the Kennedy Center in the hours before a federal judge’s deadline to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Dark storm clouds gather over the Kennedy Center in the hours before a federal judge’s deadline to remove U.S. President Donald Trump's name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Jonathan Ernst Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 3:25 PM.

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