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The Trump administration will appeal a judge’s order requiring that President Trump’s name be removed from the Kennedy Center. The notice of appeal was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Earlier Thursday, Mr. Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board voted to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s May 29 ruling that said Mr. Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting told The Associated Press. The formal stay will be filed on Friday, the person said.
Cooper ruled last month that only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center’s name and ordered references to Mr. Trump be removed by Friday. He also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.
The board move marks a shift from a June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel saying email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”
The Kennedy Center’s website has dropped the president’s name. And an email earlier this week sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Mr. Trump’s name.
Alex WROBLEWSKI /AFP via Getty Images
Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat who is an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, said in a statement that he participated in the 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,” he said.
After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Mr. Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until March when Matt Floca assumed the role.
The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as 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 scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.
The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
In addition to voting on the stay on Thursday, the board backed a resolution recognizing Mr. Trump’s “commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.”
