Federal judge orders Trump’s name stripped from Kennedy Center

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Kennedy Center to remove President Donald Trump's name from the institution, ruling that Congress alone has the authority to rename the nation's official memorial to President John F. Kennedy.

In a scathing 94-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper rejected the Kennedy Center board's decision to rebrand the institution as the "Trump Kennedy Center," concluding that trustees lacked the power to alter a name established by federal law more than six decades ago.

"The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy," Cooper wrote. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."

The ruling is a significant setback for Trump's effort to remake one of the nation's most prominent cultural institutions after installing allies on its governing board and assuming a direct role in its leadership.

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The dispute traces back to Trump's unprecedented takeover of the Kennedy Center in February 2025. After criticizing the institution for hosting drag performances and what he called "anti-American propaganda," Trump removed board members, named himself chairman, and installed longtime ally Richard Grenell as the center's interim executive director. Trump promised a new "golden age" for American arts and culture under his leadership.

Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany and one of the highest-profile gay Republicans in the country, quickly became the public face of the administration's overhaul. His tenure became one of the most politically contentious periods in the center's history, marked by artist boycotts, canceled performances, criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates, and declining ticket sales. Lin-Manuel Miranda canceled a planned production of the Tony-winning musical Hamilton, actor Issa Rae withdrew a sold-out appearance, and several WorldPride events were relocated after organizers said the venue no longer felt welcoming.

By March of this year, Grenell stepped down as president and was replaced by facilities executive Matt Floca, though he remained involved as an adviser to the institution.

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"Early last year, however, rumblings of change reverberated through the Kennedy Center," the judge wrote before recounting how Trump replaced trustees, appointed himself to the board, became chairman, replaced the institution's president, stripped ex officio trustees of voting rights, renamed the center, and later announced plans to close it for two years.

The lawsuit was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board who challenged the renaming and several related actions by the institution's new leadership.

According to the court's findings, the vote to rename the center came during a December 2025 board meeting where the proposal was not listed on the agenda. Beatty said she attempted to object but found herself muted as trustees moved toward a vote. Cooper noted that no discussion took place regarding the legal risks of renaming the institution and that the record contained no evidence that board counsel advised trustees on whether the move complied with federal law.

The board approved the change anyway.

The next day, workers installed new signage on the building's front portico, placing Trump's name above Kennedy's. The institution's website, promotional materials, and subscriber communications were quickly updated to reflect the new branding. Cooper observed that both sides agreed the speed of the installation indicated the signage had been prepared before the trustees formally voted.

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After Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, Congress designated the institution as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and established it as the sole national memorial to Kennedy in Washington and its surrounding area. Federal law also prohibits installing additional memorials in most public areas of the center.

"The Center cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so," Cooper wrote.

Cooper also ruled that the board improperly stripped ex officio trustees of voting rights, finding that the Kennedy Center's governing statute makes no distinction between appointed trustees and ex officio members with respect to the core powers of administering the institution.

In a separate victory for Beatty, the judge preliminarily blocked plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years while extensive renovations are carried out.

At one point, Cooper described the closure vote as "one of the more consequential decisions in the institution's lifespan" and concluded that the board's process fell "below even a forgiving standard of prudence."