Federal judge refuses to stay order stripping Trump's name off Kennedy Center

A Washington federal judge on Friday refused to temporarily pause an order requiring President Donald Trump's name to be stripped from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the defendants — the president and the board — had not demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on appeal, nor shown they would suffer irreparable harm, noting that restoring the name would require minimal resources and that there was no evidence linking increased donations to the current name.

Cooper also noted that the defendants had already taken "substantial steps" toward complying with the name-change order, which he said undermined any claim of irreparable harm because of full compliance. He described the failure to demonstrate irreparable harm as "fatal" to a stay request, compounded by the failure to show a likelihood of success on the merits. Cooper concluded that granting a stay would not serve the public interest, which is rarely advanced by perpetuating "unlawful government action".

​The ruling is a significant legal setback for the Trump administration, as the failed stay request means the deadline passes and the Kennedy Center board will now be compelled to change the name, at least for now. The administration has filed an appeal, though the judge's finding that it failed to demonstrate "irreparable injury" weakens its legal standing going forward. The case comes as another point of friction between Trump's alleged efforts to stamp his brand on federal institutions and the courts' willingness to let those challenges play out without intervention.

The board had appealed at the eleventh hour, challenging the order that not only mandated the removal of Trump's name but also blocked the administration from shutting the center for renovation work. Lawyers argued the stay was necessary, as removing the name only to restore it after a successful appeal would waste time and resources. The administration can still seek a stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The underlying ruling, issued last month, stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio board member, challenging the name change. Cooper, an Obama appointee, ruled that established law dictated that "the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so." He further ruled that Congress had conferred the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress had the authority to change it.