A federal judge has mandated the immediate removal of former President Donald Trump’s name from the facade and signage of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that only Congress can change the institution’s name. The court also temporarily blocked Trump’s requested two-year closure of the landmark for renovations, citing the board’s failure to properly balance its obligations. The decision follows a lawsuit by Rep. Joyce Beatty, who challenged the renaming and other actions by the Kennedy Center’s board.
In a significant legal blow to former President Donald Trump, a federal judge has ordered his name to be immediately removed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The ruling, handed down by Judge Christopher Cooper on Friday, asserts that the institution's name is enshrined by Congress and cannot be unilaterally altered by the center's board.
Judge Cooper's order stipulates that Trump's name must be stripped from the center's facade and all other signage within two weeks. The decision also temporarily halts a controversial plan, pushed by Trump, to close the Washington D.C. performing arts landmark for a two-year renovation period.
The judge's directives came in response to a lawsuit filed by Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and an ex officio Kennedy Center trustee. Beatty's complaint challenged not only the renaming and the proposed closure but also the board's decision in May 2025 to revoke her voting rights.
In his ruling, Cooper emphasized that the Kennedy Center's board had failed to adequately balance its responsibilities when it moved to shutter the center for renovations. However, he noted that future closure for repairs could be considered if the board undertakes a more prudent and balanced decision-making process. The preliminary injunction, Cooper clarified, does not impede the center from proceeding with its planned capital repair work.
Trump swiftly reacted to the ruling, expressing his displeasure on Truth Social. While blasting Judge Cooper, the former president appeared to accept the removal of his name, characterizing the Kennedy Center as being "badly in need of repair." He indicated a desire to "transfer this failing Institution back to them [Congress] so they can make a determination as to what to do with it," further adding, "I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight."
The controversy began roughly 10 months after Trump had removed several existing trustees from the board and appointed himself as a trustee. The board's subsequent vote to rename the center, leading to alterations on its facade and various signs, became a central point of contention.
Judge Cooper was unequivocal on the renaming issue. "The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President [John] Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so," he wrote. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Adding another dimension to his order, Cooper also mandated the restoration of Representative Beatty's voting rights as an ex officio trustee. He highlighted that the center's foundational statute makes no distinction between the powers of general and ex officio trustees, stating, "stripping ex officio trustees of their voting rights runs afoul of common-law trust principles incorporated into the statute."
Representative Beatty hailed the ruling as an affirmation of the rule of law. "Today's ruling rightly affirms that this administration's efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law," she stated. "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."
Her legal team, Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of Washington Litigation Group, echoed her sentiments, calling the decision "a powerful blow against the Trump administration's corruption" and a reinforcement that "the rule of law matters."
The Department of Justice, representing Trump in the suit, expressed satisfaction that the court rejected challenges to the renovations, stating they would "continue to defend President Trump's ability to restore the Center to its former glory as the finest performing arts center in the country – if not the world."
