Judge blocks closure of Kennedy Center and orders removal of Trump's name
The ruling leaves renovations possible but says the board must reconsider any closure decision and cannot rename the center without Congress.
- U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that President Donald Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, issuing a sweeping 94-page opinion directing the administration to strip the name from the iconic Washington, D.C. venue.
- The court gave the Trump administration a strict 14-day deadline to remove all physical signage bearing Trump's name and eliminate any references to a "Trump Kennedy Center" from official institutional materials.
- Judge Cooper emphasized that the center’s name is dictated by federal statute, writing that the venue is legally designated to honor President John F. Kennedy and "cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial" based on unilateral board decisions without an explicit act of Congress.
- The ruling additionally blocked the administration from shutting down the cultural landmark for a proposed two-year renovation project, blasting the Trump-appointed board's March vote to close the facility as "ill-informed," "seemingly preordained," and derelict of its statutory obligations.
- The decisive legal challenge was brought by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex-officio member of the center's Board of Trustees, whom the judge ruled was unlawfully stripped of her voting rights during the meeting where the closure and renaming were pushed through.
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173 Articles
Richmond Register
Woonsocket CallThe Latest: Trump says he’ll back away from Kennedy Center overhaul after judge orders name removal
A judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing it for major renovations. Hours later the president said via social media that he would cease involvement in…
US President Donald Trump no longer wants to lead the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, he writes in an extensive post on Truth Social. He will work with the US Congress to transfer control of the center, which he considers "failing." Trump installed himself as chairman of the center last year and renamed it the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Trump Legacy Denied: Judge Mandates Name Removed From Kennedy Center to Honour JFK Alone
US District Court Judge Christopher Cooper issued a ruling on 29 May ordering the removal of Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, declaring the recent changes unlawful. The ruling directs officials to reverse the modifications immediately and ends a push by the institution's board of trustees to alter the building's identity. The legal challenge was originally initiated by US Representative Joyce Beatty, a…
Donald Trump has wrongly named one of the most important cultural institutions in the United States after himself. The head of the Kennedy Center appeals against the verdict.
The Kennedy Center must remove the name of US President Donald Trump from its exterior walls. A federal judge in Washington has ruled…
U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that it was illegal to change the name of the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, as the institution should be dedicated to "President Kennedy and only President Kennedy", reporting Politicalo on 29 May.
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