The United States Institute of Peace and members of its former leadership have asked a federal appeals court to urgently stop the Trump administration from permanently carving President Donald Trump’s name into the façade of the organisation’s headquarters in Washington.
The emergency motion was filed on Thursday, September 17, as part of an ongoing legal battle over control of the institute and the future of its headquarters.
Trump’s name was placed on the building in large lettering last December, with the facility subsequently referred to by the administration as the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. The latest court filing argues that authorities now appear to be preparing to make the change permanent by engraving the president’s name directly into the building’s stone exterior.
Lawyers representing the institute’s ousted leadership said the permanent alteration could cause irreparable harm while the broader legal dispute remains unresolved. They had previously asked the administration to commit that no carving would take place while the case was before the courts, but said no such assurance was provided.
The dispute stems from the Trump administration’s efforts to take control of the institute after the president returned to the White House. The organisation, established by Congress in 1984, was created to conduct research, training and other activities aimed at preventing and resolving international conflicts.
The administration moved against the institute as part of a wider effort to reduce the size of the federal government. Staff were dismissed and the building was taken under government control, leading to a series of legal challenges from former board members and institute officials.
A federal district judge previously ruled against the administration’s takeover, describing it as an improper exercise of government authority. That ruling, however, was stayed while the case proceeds through the appeals process, leaving the administration in control of the organisation and its headquarters.
The latest dispute over the building’s name comes amid a separate legal battle involving the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where attempts to add Trump’s name to the institution have also faced court challenges.
The Institute of Peace case is now before the appeals court as former officials seek to prevent any permanent physical changes to the building while the wider legal questions surrounding the organisation remain unresolved.
The court’s response to the emergency motion will determine whether the proposed carving can proceed while the broader dispute continues.
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