Appeals court rules Trump’s name can’t be carved into Institute of Peace building

A federal appeals court on Wednesday night ruled that President Trump’s name can’t be carved into the U.S. Institute of Peace building, for now.

The judges are considering a lawsuit brought by removed board members , who challenge the administration’s takeover of the institute. The appeals court has allowed the takeover to proceed until it resolves the case.

Trump’s name now appears on signage outside the institute’s headquarters in the nation’s capital, and last month, the former members headed back to court over concerns the administration intended to permanently carve it into the building’s facade.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed to block any plans to move it forward in a one-sentence order without explanation. It remains in effect until the court issues its final ruling. Oral arguments are scheduled for November.

The former board members said the building is a “work of expressive architecture,” and Trump’s name shouldn’t be so easily etched into it until the litigation is resolved.

“Alteration of the design to impose a different message would cause irreparable harm,” their attorneys wrote in court filings.

The former board members originally filed the lawsuit in March 2025 after Trump removed them. It’s one of many agencies across the federal bureaucracy that Trump has targeted since retaking the White House.

A federal district judge agreed the firings were without legal authority and the takeover wasn’t allowed, but the D.C. Circuit put that ruling on hold as it considers the case. It’s now weighing the impact of the Supreme Court’s blockbuster decision eviscerating independent agency removal protections, which could further bolster Trump’s position.

The Justice Department told the D.C. Circuit to deny the former board members’ request in light of that.

It also insisted that there were no imminent plans to carve Trump’s name into the building and that the State Department had merely done “preparatory market research” for the project, including contacting vendors and getting estimates.

“However, the Department has authorized us to state that it did not take further action with awards or selecting a vendor for any engraving since that time and has no current plans to move forward with engraving the building or retaining wall,” the Justice Department wrote in court filings on Monday.