An appeals court is keeping intact a federal judge’s ruling requiring the Kennedy Center to remove President Donald Trump’s name from its building by the end of Friday.
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a last-minute effort by the center to freeze the judge’s ruling so that it wouldn’t need to comply while more court proceedings play out.
The appeals court did not explain its reasoning for its decision in a brief, unsigned ruling. The panel included Judge Gregory Katsas, a Trump appointee; Patricia Millett, an appointee of former President Barack Obama; and Robert Wilkins, also an Obama appointee.
The judges asked for more written legal arguments to be submitted later this month over the center’s bid to pause the lower-court’s ruling that said it must remove Trump’s name from its building, website, promotional materials and other areas. But even as the legal wrangling plays out in coming weeks, the center must, for now, take steps to completely comply with the judge’s directive.
The center has the option of asking the Supreme Court to intervene on its behalf.
