A federal judge dealt a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration Friday, ordering the removal of Donald Trump’s name from one of Washington’s most iconic cultural landmarks and blocking its planned two-year closure — a dual ruling that throws a wrench into the administration’s sweeping makeover of the historic venue.
A 60-Year-Old Name That Required An Act Of Congress to Create
The Kennedy Center has carried its name since January 23, 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation redesignating the former National Cultural Center as a living memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy — using the same gold-plated spade that had grounded both the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Established by Congress as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, the Center operates independently and is funded through federal appropriations as well as revenues from performances and contributions. That legal foundation is precisely what made the Trump board’s unilateral renaming so constitutionally vulnerable.
The Board Acted — And A Judge Said It Overstepped
Trump dismissed several of the Kennedy Center’s board members in February 2025 and appointed others of his choosing, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Sergio Gor, the U.S. Ambassador to India. The new board elected Trump as chair, approved changing the name, and approved renovating the facility. In December 2025, the board unanimously voted to rename the venue the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” with workers installing the new lettering on the building’s facade the very next day.
The move drew immediate legal fire. The lawsuit was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who claimed her voting rights as a board member were stripped in 2025 when the Kennedy Center’s bylaws were amended.
U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper concluded Friday that the law establishing the center “makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote in his 94-page opinion.
Two Weeks To Tear Down The Signs
Cooper’s ruling requires officials to remove all Trump signage and scrub the name from the Center’s website within 14 days. The judge also blocked the board’s planned July 6 closure date for a $257 million renovation, ruling that the board had not adequately weighed its legal obligation to maintain ongoing programming.
“There is no evidence that the Board took account of its full range of statutory obligations in determining that a wholesale shuttering of the Kennedy Center was appropriate,” Cooper wrote.
The White House and Kennedy Center had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
