The Kennedy Center‘s board of trustees voted on Thursday to appeal an Obama-appointed federal judge’s order that requires President Donald Trump‘s name to be removed from the performing arts building by Friday.
The board vote came hours before all references to Trump in the Kennedy Center’s signage, digital materials, and branding were supposed to be taken down, as ruled by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper late last month. The appeal is expected to be filed on Friday as Cooper’s order takes effect, CNN reported.
As of Thursday evening, Trump’s name remains on the building’s exterior. However, it has been removed from the Kennedy Center’s website, YouTube channel, X and Facebook accounts, and its shuttle buses that transport people to and from the nearest Metro station. Interestingly, the center’s Instagram page has not been updated yet.
An activist organization called Hands Off the Arts has a YouTube livestream for those who wish to watch the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center’s nameplate.
In his 14-day ruling, Cooper concluded that the addition of Trump’s name was made unlawfully because it circumvented Congress, which named the center through federal law following the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Trump’s handpicked trustee board approved the name change last year instead. The judge ultimately sided with Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), the plaintiff who filed the lawsuit.
