A US district judge has deemed the addition of President Donald Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as unlawful. The judge, Christopher Cooper, ordered the removal of Trump’s name within two weeks. Cooper stated that the Center was intended to be the sole national memorial to President John F. Kennedy as directed by the US Congress.
The judge criticized the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees for exceeding its authority by unilaterally renaming the center after Trump. Cooper emphasized that only Congress has the power to change the Center’s name, which was designated in honor of President Kennedy. Additionally, Cooper temporarily prevented the Trump administration from closing the Kennedy Center for a two-year period.
Cooper highlighted that the decision to shut down the Kennedy Center was based on incomplete information and failed to consider the center’s statutory obligations and the impact of closure on its programs and memorial functions. The judge’s ruling does not impede the Center from proceeding with necessary capital repairs or from potentially closing in the future after a thorough evaluation by the Board.
Since his second term began, Trump has played an active role at the Kennedy Center, including replacing previous leadership and assuming the position of board chair. Despite the board’s decision to rename the venue as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” the move faced significant backlash from the public and political figures. Several notable artists even canceled their performances at the Center in response.
