Judge Blocks NOTUS Rebrand in Washington Star Trademark Case

A U.S. District Court judge in the Eastern District of Virginia granted a temporary restraining order on June 2, 2026, preventing political news outlet NOTUS from proceeding with its rebrand as 'The Star.' The order came in response to a trademark infringement complaint filed by The Washington Star, which holds a federally registered trademark for the name and has used it since 2023.

The Washington Star, revived by publisher Dovid Efune of The New York Sun, sued NOTUS last week, alleging that the rebrand would cause consumer confusion between the two outlets. The complaint noted that readers had already begun mixing up the publications. Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. found that The Washington Star was likely to succeed on the merits and issued the TRO, which bars NOTUS from launching or advertising the rebrand until a July 22 hearing on a preliminary injunction.

NOTUS had announced plans to unveil the new branding with a custom website and expanded journalism team. The court did not require removal of existing references to 'The Star' from NOTUS materials. The dispute highlights ongoing tensions in media branding and trademark enforcement in the digital news space.