A federal judge has ordered the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the board of trustees exceeded its legal authority when it unilaterally renamed the iconic Washington venue. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the decision on Friday, giving the center two weeks to remove Trump's name from the building facade and all signage.
Judge Cooper wrote in his ruling that the Kennedy Center's organic statute 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. The decision also temporarily blocked the board from proceeding with plans to close the center for two years of renovations, which the Trump administration had sought.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio Kennedy Center trustee. Beatty's civil complaint challenged three actions taken by the board: the renaming of the center after Trump, the planned closure for renovations, and the stripping of her voting rights as a congressional trustee. The judge found merit in her arguments on the naming and closure issues.
The Kennedy Center, which opened in 1971 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, has served as one of the nation's premier performing arts venues for more than five decades. The Trump-appointed board had voted earlier this year to rename the facility in honor of the sitting president, a move that drew immediate legal challenges and widespread public criticism from arts organizations and preservation groups.
Legal experts noted that the ruling reinforces the principle that executive-appointed boards cannot unilaterally override congressional designations established by statute. The Kennedy Center was created by an act of Congress in 1958, and its naming after the assassinated president was codified in federal law. Only Congress has the authority to formally rename a federally designated memorial.
The Trump administration has not yet announced whether it will appeal the ruling. White House officials declined to comment directly on the decision but have previously maintained that the board acted within its authority in recognizing Trump's contributions to the arts. The Department of Justice, which represented the board in the litigation, is reviewing the decision and its options.
The case has become a flashpoint in broader debates about presidential power and the independence of cultural institutions. Arts organizations across the country have praised the ruling as a victory for institutional integrity, while supporters of the renaming have criticized it as judicial overreach. The two-week deadline for removing the signage means the Kennedy Center must act quickly to comply with the court order.
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