A three-judge panel on Wednesday denied a request from the Kennedy Center's board to restore President Donald Trump's name to the institution while the board appeals an earlier ruling that dubbed the name change illegal and had it rescinded.
It's another setback for the board of trustees, of which Trump is chairman, in a saga that began earlier this year when the Kennedy Center became: "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
The conspicuous addition, and ensuing legal battle, became symbolic of Trump's broader push to imprint his legacy — and, in this case, his actual name — on the nation's capital in his final term.
The panel of judges wrote Wednesday that the board of trustee's request "failed to show how they will be irreparably injured" if Trump's name remains off the building through the appeal process.
The board had argued that the removal "threatens to impede" fundraising efforts, but the judges found that claim came without the support of "specific facts or evidence."