U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has officially refused the administration’s request to pause his May 29th decision requiring the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center. Trump had hoped that Judge Cooper would put a temporary hold on his order while the case moves forward on appeal. But the judge did not agree.
In his statement, Cooper said, “Defendants have not shown that a stay of the Court’s permanent injunction regarding the Kennedy Center’s renaming is needed while the appeal is being considered by the D.C. Circuit.”
He added, “Most importantly, for the reasons clearly explained in the Court’s ruling, the Defendants have not made a strong case that they will likely win their case on its merits.”
Cooper noted that the Kennedy Center Board, which is filled with people who support Trump, has already started removing his name from their branding before the June 12th deadline.
He used this as evidence that there is no real harm being done by his ruling.
He wrote, “These actions show that Defendants are not facing serious damage from following the court’s order completely.”
He also said, “Delaying the ruling during the appeal would not serve the public interest, especially when it comes to continuing ‘unlawful’ government actions.”
It’s likely that Trump’s reaction to the ruling, where he called the judge a “crook,” didn’t help the administration’s case.
Cooper previously said that federal law clearly states that the Kennedy Center is named after John F. Kennedy and no one else.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” he wrote. “It cannot have any other official name or public honor based on the Board’s own decision.”
While this Kennedy Center win may seem small compared to the issues of Trump’s criminal behavior, cruelty, and corruption, it’s still significant because it’s something that matters a lot to Trump personally.
He has become very focused on putting his name on things, building ballrooms, and renovating pools because he knows he doesn’t have a real legacy to leave behind. His presidency is considered the worst in history.
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