WASHINGTON (AP) — On Friday, a judge rejected the Kennedy Center’s bid to delay a ruling that mandates the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the building.
Should the Kennedy Center opt not to appeal the decision made by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, it could soon lead to Trump’s name being taken down. In his ruling last month, Judge Cooper emphasized that only Congress has the authority to alter the Kennedy Center’s name, instructing that any references to Trump be removed by Friday.
The Kennedy Center has yet to provide a comment regarding the verdict. Meanwhile, workers have been observed erecting scaffolding around a part of the building that currently bears Trump’s name.
Judge Cooper’s previous ruling declared the addition of Trump’s name to the renowned Washington arts venue as unlawful. On Thursday evening, despite a last-ditch effort by Trump’s appointees on the center’s board to retain his name on the building’s front, Cooper declined to halt his order.
According to a June 4 memorandum from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel, all email signatures, letterhead, and related documents must now refer to the establishment as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or simply the “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped Trump’s name. And an earlier email sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman.
In his earlier ruling, Cooper also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.