Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Effort to Rename Kennedy Center
A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump cannot add his own name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, dealing a significant blow to the president's efforts to rebrand the iconic Washington institution.
The opinion follows a December 2025 decision by the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, now stacked with Trump appointees, to rename the memorial to the late President John F. Kennedy and include Trump's name. The name was added to the building the following day. In March, Trump announced on his social media platform that the center would close for extensive renovations, a move that came after numerous performers canceled shows and ticket sales plummeted in response to the board's actions.
Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, filed a lawsuit in December 2025 challenging the board's decisions to rename the center and close it for two years. The ruling by Judge Christopher Cooper largely sided with Beatty's challenge.
The court's decision stated: "The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it 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."
In addition to blocking the center from bearing Trump's name, Judge Cooper's decision declared that the board was "derelict in discharging the full range of its responsibilities to the Center" when it voted to close for two years for repairs. Cooper also found that the board could not exclude ex officio members, like Beatty, from voting on these decisions.
Cooper's ruling suspended the board's closure order but did not prevent the board from proceeding with repairs. The board could vote to close the center again, Cooper wrote, "should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion."
Background of the Controversy
Trump's efforts to take control of the center and rename it began within weeks of his taking office in 2025. He fired the board chair, removed several trustees, named himself board chair, and appointed longtime ally Richard Grenell as the center's president in February 2025. Grenell later left and was replaced by Matt Floca. The new board reconvened in May 2025 and voted to disallow ex officio members from voting.
In December, the board voted unanimously to rename the center to include Trump's name without any debate or discussion. During the meeting, Beatty, who could not vote, was involuntarily muted and unable to speak on the issue.
The closure announcement in March on Trump's Truth Social account was the first time the board heard about the decision, according to Cooper's ruling. Floca testified that the closure was his idea, but he did not base it on any new assessment or relevant studies, despite Trump claiming it came after a one-year review. The collapse in programming, triggered by the board's addition of Trump's name, did not prompt Floca's decision but did play a role.
Cooper quoted Floca's testimony: "Presented with a 'unique' opportunity given the lapse in programming, the OBBBA appropriation, and 'a leadership team that [would] prioritize' the renovation, Floca considered the next two years a 'perfect time to do this work.'"
Impact on Washington's Cultural Scene
The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a national cultural center and memorial to President Kennedy. It hosts numerous artistic events, including operas, concerts, and performances, and is home to the National Symphony Orchestra. Its closure dealt a huge blow to the cultural scene in Washington, D.C.
