Former Institute of Peace board members ask court to stop addition of Trump name to headquarters

Former board members of the U.S. Institute of Peace asked a federal appeals court on Thursday to prevent the Trump administration from placing President Trump’s name on the facade of the institute’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The group filed an emergency petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking to halt the proposed engraving.

According to the filing, lawyers acting on behalf of the former board members made the request directly to the D.C. Circuit, contending the administration’s plan to alter the building’s exterior should be enjoined. The petition characterizes the relief sought as urgent, prompting the use of emergency procedures in the appellate court.

The case centers on a dispute between the former board members and the Trump administration over the proposed addition of the president’s name to a federally owned institute devoted to peacebuilding. Court action on the emergency petition will determine whether the administration can proceed with etching the president’s name while the legal challenge is pending.

The filing marks the escalation of the controversy into the federal judiciary, where judges will consider whether to grant the immediate relief requested by the former board members. Further developments will depend on the court’s response to the emergency petition and any subsequent briefing or hearings.