A U.S. federal court dismissed last-minute efforts by the Kennedy Center administration to stop the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center building.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued an order on Friday, 12 June 2020 GMT+7, to proceed with enforcing the original ruling, which required Trump's name to be removed from the building on the same day. The court ruled that renaming it "Trump Kennedy Center" was unlawful.
Previously, on 29 May 2020 GMT+7, Judge Cooper ruled that changing the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the "Trump Kennedy Center" was illegal.
The court stated that only the U.S. Congress has the authority to rename this location, and ordered the government to remove Trump's name from the building, as well as from all related documents and promotional materials, within 14 days.
Although the executive committee, consisting of Trump allies, and the U.S. Department of Justice petitioned to suspend the court order during the appeal, the judge denied the request, reasoning that the public interest could not be protected by allowing an unlawful action to continue.
Following the latest ruling, workers began installing scaffolding in front of the building where Trump's name was displayed in large letters.
However, by Friday evening local time, the name had not yet been removed from the building, while the executive committee and the Department of Justice filed another appeal to a higher court seeking to halt the removal process. The court is currently reviewing the case.
Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center's official website had already removed Trump's name earlier.
The issue began last December when the newly appointed executive committee, selected by Trump, voted to rename the performing arts center the Trump Kennedy Center and placed the Republican president's name above that of former President John F. Kennedy on the building's front.
This decision sparked heavy criticism and caused several artists to cancel scheduled performances at the center.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has pushed for his name and image to appear in many government locations, a practice that differs from traditional U.S. political norms.
Besides the Kennedy Center case, the now-defunct U.S. Institute of Peace was renamed in Trump's honor, while large portraits of him have been installed at the Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture buildings.
Additionally, the Trump administration has promoted the idea of featuring his image on a new $250 U.S. bill to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence from the United Kingdom.
,Source:channelnewsasia
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