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Judge Blocks Trump Name Change at Kennedy Center
30 May
Summary
- Judge ruled Congress alone can rename the performing arts center.
- Trump's name must be removed from the center within two weeks.
- Planned renovations and a two-year closure were also blocked.
A federal judge has definitively halted President Trump's effort to rename the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
District Judge Christopher Cooper determined on Friday that only Congress possesses the authority to alter the center's designation, which honors former President John F. Kennedy. The ruling mandates the removal of Trump's name from the building's exterior within the next two weeks. This decision came on what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday.
Furthermore, the court order has blocked Trump's proposed two-year closure of the Kennedy Center for renovations. Judge Cooper found the center's board, appointed by Trump, acted unlawfully by agreeing to the closure based on an insufficient presentation of information. While capital repair work is still permissible, the board cannot be compelled to close the institution.
Trump responded on social media, expressing disinterest in renovations and stating his intention to work with Congress to transfer the institution back to them. Maria Shriver, President Kennedy's niece, publicly celebrated the ruling as an appropriate birthday present and a victory for proper procedure.
