US court says Trump name must stay off Kennedy Center during appeal

A US appeals court ruled on Wednesday that Donald ⁠Trump’s administration cannot restore the Republican leader’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center for the Performing ⁠Arts in Washington ⁠while ​he challenges a judge’s order that required its removal.

The decision by a three-judge panel of the US ⁠court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit denied a request from the Trump administration to pause a ⁠lower court judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by Joyce Beatty, a Democratic representative and Kennedy Center board ‌member. Trump’s name was ‌removed from the iconic Washington theater center’s facade and signage last month. ‌US district judge Christopher Cooper ordered the removal in May, and also blocked Trump’s plans to close the center for two years of renovations starting on 4 July.

The appeals court ruling was not on the merits of the case, and Trump’s appeal can continue.

The White ‌House had no immediate comment. Representatives for Beatty did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In its ​appeal, the Trump administration said the removal of Trump’s name would harm fundraising efforts “and contribute to the financial decline of the Center”.

The unsigned appeals court order said the administration had not backed up that assertion “with ⁠any specific facts or evidence”.

The appeals court also said the administration ​was barred from ​asserting that a new entity ​called the Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ​Foundation will have ‌to return ​money if the ​president’s name is not returned to the facade. The panel of judges included two appointed by former Democratic president Barack Obama, and a third appointed by Trump during his first term.