White House appeals Kennedy Center name ruling

The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge’s order requiring President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the Kennedy Center, escalating a dispute over who has the authority to rename one of the nation’s best-known performing arts venues.

A notice of appeal was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Earlier in the day, Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board voted to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The formal stay is expected to be filed Friday, the person said.

Cooper ruled that Trump’s name had been illegally added to the Kennedy Center and said only Congress could approve a change to the institution’s name. He ordered references to Trump removed by Friday. The judge also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to begin in July and last two years.

The board’s decision to seek a stay marks a turnabout from a June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel. That memo said email signatures, letterhead and other documents must refer to the venue as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center’s website has already dropped the president’s name. An email sent earlier this week to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony also came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump’s name.

Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, said he participated in Thursday’s meeting and opposed seeking a stay.

“I look forward to putting these distractions behind us and focusing on supporting the arts and the future of the Center,” Larsen said in a statement.

Trump has exerted significant influence over the Kennedy Center since returning to office. After paying little attention to the venue during much of his first term, he ousted its previous leadership about a month into his second term and replaced it with a handpicked board of trustees. The new board named him chairman.

Trump also brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president of the center. Grenell held the position until March, when Matt Floca assumed the role.

The center’s programming has included more Trump-friendly events, including the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.” The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change that scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added Trump’s name to the building’s facade.

The response from parts of the arts community was immediate. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the artists who withdrew from appearances. Consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, National Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Jean Davidson left to lead the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

Along with voting to seek a stay Thursday, the board approved a resolution recognizing Trump’s “commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.”