Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleFederal judges and an appeals court panel rejected the administration's last-minute attempts to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump.Construction crews began removing the president's name from the Kennedy Center's marble facade following the court denials. District Judge Christopher Cooper initially blocked the name change, asserting that only Congress has the authority to alter the iconic venue's name. The administration appealed, claiming the president's name was crucial for fundraising and that donations would be lost without it, but this argument was dismissed by the D.C. appeals court. Kennedy Center officials were instructed to revert all official documents and digital platforms to the original John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts name. In fullConstruction crew set to strip Trump’s name from Kennedy Center after president loses another legal battleThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Construction crews have erected scaffolding outside the Kennedy Center on Friday, the day of the court-ordered deadline to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the building.

“We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership,”

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, rejected the request on Friday to block the name change at the Kennedy Center.