Judge Orders Trump's Name Removed from Kennedy Center

A federal judge ruled Friday that President Trump's name must be removed from the Kennedy Center, siding with Rep. Joyce Beatty, who claimed the renaming had "no basis in law." U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper directed the Trump administration to remove all signage bearing Trump’s name within 14 days. Cooper wrote in his 94-page ruling that the board "overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump."

Judge Cooper emphasized that "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." He noted that in 1964, Congress rechristened the "National Cultural Center" as the "John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." The judge added that Congress took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center’s public spaces.

Cooper's ruling also halted the closure of the Kennedy Center, which was scheduled to close this summer for two years of renovations. He said the board based its decision on an insufficient presentation of information and neglected to consider the potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions. The judge called the decision to cease operations during the renovation "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."

President Trump criticized the ruling, saying the judge "should be ashamed of himself" and described the U.S. court system as “rigged.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed he would work with Congress to relinquish the administration's role in overseeing the Kennedy Center. He stated he has "no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND,'" unless he is free to bring the institution back, physically, financially, and artistically.

Roma Daravi, a spokesperson for the Kennedy Center, said they are "confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center." Daravi added that the Center requires an urgent restoration, with $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress. The Justice Department said it will continue to defend President Trump's ability to restore the Center.

In February 2025, Trump dismissed several of the Kennedy Center's board members 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 and approved changing the name of the building. Previously, the board consisted of three dozen members appointed to six-year terms, relatively evenly split between President Biden and Trump's appointees.

Rep. Joyce Beatty filed the suit, claiming her voting rights as a board member were stripped in 2025 when the Kennedy Center's bylaws were amended. Beatty said the ruling reaffirms that the renaming had "no basis in law" and that the Kennedy Center belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. She stated that Trump had desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity.

While the ruling does not prevent the Kennedy Center's board from a future closure, the judge said that it should do so only after the board has sufficient information to make an independent decision.