A federal judge denied a last-ditch effort to stop the removal of President Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center while the appeals process plays out.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued a brief order Friday saying that the Trump administration had not made “a strong showing that [they] are likely to succeed on the merits” of an appeal or proved they would be irreparably harmed if their motion was denied.
Judge Cooper, an Obama appointee, said the Kennedy Center had already taken “substantial” steps to comply with his May order to remove Mr. Trump’s name from the performing arts center.
“These efforts undermine the notion that defendants face irreparable harm in complying with the order in full,” he wrote. “What’s more, issuance of a stay pending appeal would not be in the public interest, which is rarely served by the ’perpetuation’ of ’unlawful’ government action.”
The Kennedy Center, run by a board of trustees appointed by Mr. Trump, voted in December to add the president’s name to the institution, rebranding it as the Trump-Kennedy Center. It is the premier performing arts venue in Washington and was established by Congress as a memorial to President Kennedy.
A Democratic member of Congress who sits on the board challenged the renaming in court. Judge Cooper ruled in May that only Congress could approve the name change and set a July 12 deadline to comply with his order.
Lawyers for the Kennedy Center earlier this month instructed staff to immediately begin the process of switching the name back to its original title. The Kennedy Center’s website removed Mr. Trump’s name from most of its online material.
Mr. Trump took over the Kennedy Center last year, removing Democratic-appointed members and installing allies in their place. He has also made changes and sought to renovate the facility. However, after Judge Cooper’s decision, Mr. Trump said he had “no interest” in continuing the Kennedy Center’s overhaul.
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