Federal judge blocks Trump name from Kennedy Center, and Trump lashes out

A federal judge blocks the Kennedy Center name change

A federal judge has blocked the Trump Kennedy Center name change and ordered the president's name removed from the building within two weeks, dealing a significant legal blow to the administration's plans for the nation's premier performing arts venue. According to Billboard, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the ruling on Friday, also halting a proposed two-year closure and overhaul of the Kennedy Center that was set to begin in July.

Trump responds and signals retreat

President Trump fired back on his Truth Social platform, calling Cooper "an anti Trump Hater" and claiming it was "impossible for me to be treated fairly." He also predicted the center would "soon be closed, probably never to open again." Hours after the ruling, however, Trump signaled he was backing away from the renovations and said he would make arrangements to relinquish control of the venue to Congress. The White House did not immediately clarify whether he would continue serving as the center's board chairman.

Trump had returned to office in January 2025, ousted the center's previous leadership, and replaced it with a handpicked board of trustees that named him chairman. That board's March 16 vote to close the venue was described by Cooper as "ill-informed and seemingly preordained" with no regard for its legal obligations.

The legal argument

Cooper's ruling centered on a straightforward point: Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name when the building opened in 1971, and only Congress has the authority to change it. The judge found that the board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by adding Trump's name.

The ruling came in response to two parallel lawsuits. Cooper ruled in favor of a challenge brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the board through her congressional position, while rejecting a separate challenge from a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations.

Artists cautiously optimistic

For the US performing arts scene, the decision offered some relief. Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics lawyer involved in one of the lawsuits, told the Associated Press he had "already heard from artists and from audience members alike who are excited about the Kennedy Center returning to non-partisan normality." He added that he was "optimistic that the Center will begin the long journey back" once the court's order is implemented.

Trump, for his part, insisted it was the board and not him that added his name, writing that "they thought it would be good for this dying Institution."