Key facts
- Former board members of the US Institute of Peace filed an emergency motion to prevent the carving of President Trump's name into the building.
- The motion argues that altering the building's design would cause irreparable harm to its symbolic mission.
- Trump's name was affixed to the building in December.
- The US Institute of Peace is in a legal battle with the Trump administration over the reinstatement of its former president.
- A federal judge previously ruled the administration's actions to dismantle the nonprofit unlawful.
Former board members of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) have filed an emergency motion seeking to halt the carving of President Donald Trump's name into the institute's building. The board members stated they asked Kenneth Jackson, the acting president of USIP, to prevent the alteration as they pursue litigation to preserve the institute's independence.
The motion asserts that the building, largely funded by private donations as a tax-exempt nonprofit, is a work of expressive architecture designed to symbolize USIP's independent mission. The board members argue that imposing a different message through the name carving would cause irreparable harm.
Trump's name was attached to the exterior of the building in December, adjacent to the institute's engraved name. The USIP has been involved in a legal dispute with the Trump administration since last year, aiming to reinstate its former president who was ousted by Trump. In May 2025, a federal judge declared the administration's efforts to dismantle the nonprofit unlawful, though a federal appeals court panel later stayed the ruling.