US court rules that Trump’s name must stay off Kennedy Center during appeal

Trump’s name was removed from the centre’s facade and signage last month, after a judge ordered its removal.A US appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s name must remain off the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, while the organisation appeals an earlier ruling that found a name change illegal.Trump’s name was removed from the centre’s facade and signage last month after US District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the removal and blocked Trump’s plans to close the centre for renovations. An appeal against this ruling was struck down by a three-judge panel on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump’s signature to appear on US currency in first for sitting presidentlist 2 of 4US panel approves Trump’s design for massive arch in Washington, DClist 3 of 4Trump to feature on limited-edition US passports for 250th anniversarylist 4 of 4US Treasury secretary confirms plans for $250 bill featuring Trump’s faceend of listIt is another setback for the centre’s board of trustees, of which Trump is chairman, in a saga that began earlier this year when the Kennedy Center became: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”The conspicuous addition, and ensuing legal battle, became symbolic of Trump’s broader push to imprint his legacy – and, in this case, his actual name – on the nation’s capital in his final term.The decision by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request to pause the lower court order in a lawsuit brought by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board member.“Today’s ruling again affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful,” Beatty said in a statement.“His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people.”The panel of judges wrote on Wednesday that the board of trustees’ request “failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump’s name remains off the building through the appeal process.