A federal appeals court late Wednesday issued a temporary order preventing the Trump administration from carving the president's name into the facade of the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington, D.C. The one-sentence ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, issued without explanation, will remain in effect until the court resolves the underlying case. Oral arguments are set for November.
The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by former board members whom President Trump removed in March 2025. They argue that the administration's takeover of the independent agency was unlawful and that etching Trump's name into the building would irreparably alter its architectural message. The D.C. Circuit has allowed the takeover to proceed in the interim.
Trump's name already appears on exterior signage at the institute's headquarters. Last month, the former members returned to court after learning that the administration might be preparing to permanently engrave it into the building's facade. Their attorneys contended that the structure is a "work of expressive architecture" and that any alteration would cause "irreparable harm" by imposing a different message.
The Justice Department had urged the appeals court to reject the request, citing the Supreme Court's recent decision that weakened removal protections for independent agency officials—a ruling that could strengthen Trump's legal position in the broader case. The department also insisted that there were no imminent plans to engrave the name and that the State Department had merely conducted "preparatory market research," including contacting vendors and obtaining estimates.
In a court filing Monday, the Justice Department stated: "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 legal battle over the U.S. Institute of Peace is part of a broader pattern of Trump targeting independent agencies since returning to the White House. A federal district judge previously ruled that the firings were without legal authority and that the takeover was not allowed, but the D.C. Circuit stayed that decision pending its review.
The case now intersects with the Supreme Court's blockbuster ruling on independent agency removal protections, which could bolster the administration's argument that the president has broad authority to reshape such entities. The D.C. Circuit is weighing how that decision affects the USIP dispute.
Meanwhile, the administration's aggressive posture toward independent agencies has drawn comparisons to other high-profile fights, such as the president's threats to tear down the Kennedy Center in a naming dispute. As the litigation unfolds, the temporary block on the engraving ensures that the institute's facade will remain unchanged—at least for now.
