Trump's name must be removed from Kennedy Center, judge orders
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The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on May 16 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images
President Trump's name must be removed from the Kennedy Center, according to an order signed Friday by a D.C. district judge.
The big picture: The ruling is a hit to the president's effort to renovate the performing arts venue, which was scheduled to close later this year so work could begin. Friday's order also halted the closure.
What they're saying: "The Court has concluded that the Board overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump," U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote in a 94-page ruling.
- "As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Catch up quick: Trump dismissed several of the Kennedy Center's board members in February 2025 and appointed others of his choosing.
- The new board — which includes Trump administration officials and allies like former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Sergio Gor, the U.S. Ambassador to India — elected Trump as chair, approved changing the name of the building and OK'd renovating the facility.
- The board was previously comprised of three dozen members appointed to six-year terms, relatively evenly split between President Biden and Trump's appointees.
Friday's ruling arose from a suit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who claimed in the suit that her voting rights as a board member were stripped in 2025 when the Kennedy Center's bylaws were amended.
- Beatty also entered a declaration to the court saying that all board members had held voting rights prior to the board making "ex officio" positions "non-voting members."
Zoom in: "In 1964, Congress deliberately rechristened the 'National Cultural Center' the 'John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,'" Cooper wrote.
- "The text, structure, and evolution of the organic statute makes the institution's name abundantly clear. Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center's public spaces."
- "As a result, the Kennedy Center Board's decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump's name to the building's façade, violate Congress's unequivocal mandate."
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated with more information.
