Federal judge blocks Trump from adding his name to the Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center name change is blocked, for now

A federal judge has put a hard stop on one of the more unusual chapters in recent performing arts history. The Kennedy Center name change that the board voted to adopt last December has been ruled unlawful, with U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper writing in a 94-page opinion that only Congress, not the board, has the authority to alter the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

According to Billboard, Cooper ordered that any reference to Trump's name on the building's signage or website must be removed within two weeks. The proposed new title was "The Donald Trump and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts."

What the judge actually said

Cooper's language was direct. "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," he wrote. The opinion also permanently blocked planned renovations that would have closed the Kennedy Center for two years, arguing the board had failed to consider its statutory obligation to keep operating as a performing arts venue and memorial to President Kennedy.

The board's response

The institution is not going quietly. Roma Daravi, the VP of Kennedy Center public relations, told Billboard the center intends to appeal. "We are confident that on appeal, the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center," she said. On the halted renovations, Daravi pointed to $257 million secured by Trump and approved by Congress as evidence that the resources are already in place.

How we got here

Trump's relationship with the Kennedy Center has shifted sharply since his first term, when he became the first president to regularly skip the Kennedy Center Honors. After winning reelection in 2024, he moved quickly to reshape the institution, removing 18 board members previously appointed by Joe Biden and replacing them with his own picks. The board then elected Trump as its chairman in February of last year and voted in December to rename the building in his honor, a vote the administration described as unanimous, though that characterization has been disputed by people who attended the meeting.