Judge Orders Trump Name Removed from Kennedy Center

In a significant ruling, a federal judge has delivered a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, ordering the removal of Donald Trump’s name from the iconic Kennedy Center. The judge also blocked the venue’s planned two-year closure, throwing a wrench into the administration’s extensive makeover plans for the historic performing arts center.

A Name Rooted in History

The Kennedy Center has proudly borne its name since January 23, 1964. On that date, President Lyndon Johnson signed legislation officially redesignating the former National Cultural Center as a living memorial to the assassinated President John F. Kennedy. This renaming was a significant act, established by Congress, and the Center operates as an independent bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, funded by both federal appropriations and its own revenues.

This historical and legal foundation is precisely why the Trump-appointed board’s unilateral decision to rename the venue proved to be constitutionally vulnerable. The law clearly states the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and its name cannot be altered by the Board’s decision alone.

Board Oversteps, Judge Rules

The controversy began in February 2025 when Trump reportedly dismissed several existing Kennedy Center board members and appointed new ones, including former Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor. This new board then elected Trump as chair and approved both the name change and facility renovations. In December 2025, the board unanimously voted to rename the venue the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” with new lettering installed the very next day.

The move immediately sparked legal challenges. Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) filed a lawsuit, asserting that her voting rights as a board member were violated when the Center’s bylaws were amended in 2025. U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper ultimately concluded that the law establishing the center is unambiguous: “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

14 Days to Remove Signage, Renovation Blocked

Cooper’s ruling mandates that all Trump signage must be removed, and the name must be scrubbed from the Center’s website within a strict 14-day timeframe. Furthermore, the judge blocked the board’s planned July 6th closure for a $257 million renovation. The ruling stated that the board failed to adequately consider its legal duty to maintain ongoing programming, finding “no evidence that the Board took account of its full range of statutory obligations in determining that a wholesale shuttering of the Kennedy Center was appropriate.”