D.C. Circuit Blocks Engraving Trump's Name on the Institute of Peace — While the Takeover Itself Remains Allowed
On Wednesday night, Sept. 30, 2026, the D.C. Circuit issued a one-sentence order, without explanation, blocking any engraving of President Trump's name into the U.S. Institute of Peace building — in effect until the court issues its final ruling in the removed board members' challenge to the administration's takeover of the institute. Oral arguments are scheduled for November.
The fight: Trump's name already appears on signage outside the institute's headquarters, and last month the former board members went back to court over concerns the administration intended to permanently carve the name into the facade. Their core claim:
The building is a "work of expressive architecture," and "Alteration of the design to impose a different message would cause irreparable harm," their attorneys wrote in court filings.
DOJ told the court there are no imminent engraving plans — only that the State Department had done "preparatory market research," 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.
The engraving block is only the visible layer. The underlying suit, filed March 2025 after Trump removed the board members, challenges the takeover itself. 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 and allowed the takeover to proceed while it considers the case. The court is now weighing the impact of the Supreme Court's decision eviscerating independent-agency removal protections (Supreme Court Reshapes Administrative State by Overruling Humphrey's Executor), which could further bolster the administration's position — and DOJ has told the D.C. Circuit to deny the former board members' request in light of it.
What it means: this is the second institution where a fight over physically inscribing Trump's name has become the proxy for a fight over who controls the institution — the Kennedy Center board voted to close the venue for two years after a judge blocked his name there (Kennedy Center Fight: Trump Formally Invokes Executive Privilege — Over Records of His Nonprofit Board Chairmanship). At USIP, the sequencing is reversed: the takeover is allowed to stand pending appeal, but the courts have (for now) stopped the permanent branding. The November arguments will decide both.