Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
A federal judge has issued a ruling preventing President Trump from adding his name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., asserting that the complex was named in honor of the late President John F. Kennedy. The decision also temporarily halts the administration’s plan to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation project scheduled to commence in July.
U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper explained in his decision that the Kennedy Center’s foundational statute clearly mandates that it remain named after President Kennedy. “The Center 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,” Judge Cooper stated.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center informed NPR via email that the decision will be appealed. Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the center, stated, “We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges. With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
On Truth Social, President Trump criticized Judge Cooper’s decision to block his plans for the Kennedy Center, claiming the institution is facing financial and structural challenges. Trump indicated he would work with Congress to withdraw the administration’s oversight of the Kennedy Center, stating, “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND.'”
Judge Cooper’s ruling further mandates the removal of all signage and online references to the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” the “Trump Kennedy Center,” or any similar titles within 14 days.
The judge has also temporarily halted plans to close the Kennedy Center for the proposed renovations. Trump and the center’s current voting board members, all appointed by him, had intended to start renovations in early July, following the 250th anniversary celebrations. In his 94-page ruling, Judge Cooper described the renovation plans as “murky” and noted, “None of the board members had sufficient information in advance of the March 16 meeting to make a well-considered decision to close the center.” The center has been reducing its programming and has already laid off most of its programming staff.
Referring to a Truth Social post by President Trump in February, the judge added, “There was no ‘one year review of the Trump Kennedy Center, that has taken place with Contractors, Musical Experts, Art Institutions, and other Advisors and Consultants, deciding between’ complete and partial closure, as President Trump claimed.”
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in March by Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board who had her voting rights removed last year. “Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,” Rep. Beatty commented in a statement to NPR. “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution.”
While the ruling does not prevent the Kennedy Center board from considering a future closure, Judge Cooper emphasized that such a decision should be made only after the board has “sufficient information to make a considered, independent decision, taking account of its obligation to both maintain and operate a premiere arts venue and its solemn duty to memorialize a fallen President.”
