June 11, 2026 / 10:57 PM EDT
/ CBS News
Add CBS News on Google
The Trump administration will appeal a judge's order requiring that President Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center. The notice of appeal was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Earlier Thursday, Mr. Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board voted to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's May 29 ruling that said Mr. Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting told The Associated Press. The formal stay will be filed on Friday, the person said.Cooper ruled last month that only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center's name and ordered references to Mr. Trump be removed by Friday. He 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.The board move marks a shift from a June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center's Office of General Counsel saying email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or "Kennedy Center."The Kennedy Center's website has dropped the president's name. And an email earlier this week sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Mr. Trump's name.
