National

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

By Blake Brittain and David Thomas Reuters

Updated June 12, 2026 5:23 PM

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 a request to temporarily pause an order to remove President Donald 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 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.

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 Center.

Cooper ruled on May 29 that only Congress could rename the arts center. His order had required Trump's name to be removed from the building's facade, its website and other materials by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday.

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

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

Trump in February announced a two-year closure of the center 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.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington and David Thomas in Chicago; Editing by Mark Porter, Sergio Non and Tom Hogue)

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 5:12 PM.