Judge blocks closure of Kennedy Center and orders removal of Trump's name
Judge says Congress alone can rename the center and gives trustees 14 days to remove Trump branding while the closure plan remains blocked.
- On Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the Kennedy Center board cannot rename the venue for President Donald Trump and blocked its planned two-year closure for renovations.
- Cooper concluded the board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally renaming the venue in December, as the 1964 law establishing the center grants naming authority exclusively to Congress.
- Ohio Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty filed the lawsuit after the board stripped her voting rights; Cooper ruled the March closure decision was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."
- Following the ruling, President Trump instructed the Commerce Department to "make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution."
- The court confirmed that capital repairs which the record "demonstrates is sorely needed" may continue; the board may independently re-evaluate closure plans after balancing statutory obligations.
658 Articles
658 Articles
Trump fumes after judge throws out Kennedy Center renovation plan, name change
The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts is seen in Washington, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts is seen in Washington, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts is seen in Washington, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)People hold a rally outside The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts as they react to a judge’s ruling i…
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Hours after Cooper's decision, Trump said he was backing away from the renovations and making arrangements to relinquish control to Congress.
President Donald Trump called this Saturday the federal judge who blocked his remodeling of the Kennedy Center as "an anti-Trump hater" and predicted that the country's main performing arts center, which he wanted to close for a two-year renovation, "soon it will be closed, probably never to reopen."In an extensive post on his platform Truth Social, Trump attacked the Friday decision of District Judge Christopher Cooper, who also ordered Trump's…
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