A federal appeals court rejected Donald Trump's bid to immediately restore his name to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, dealing a setback to the administration's efforts to reverse a lower court order that stripped his name from the landmark in June.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the request to pause the removal order, finding that Trump and the center's board failed to demonstrate they would suffer irreparable harm. The panel noted that because the name has already been removed and the signage covered since mid-June, granting a stay would not avert the alleged injuries. The court also found the administration provided no specific evidence that fundraising would suffer without the name displayed.
The ruling stems from a May order by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who also blocked plans to close the center for two years of renovations. The appeals court will hear the full challenge to that order at a later date.