Judge Blocks Trump's Name on Kennedy Center

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that President Donald Trump cannot add his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, blocking a planned two-year closure of the venue for renovations. The judge stated in his decision that only Congress can change the center's name.

The ruling came after Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board whose voting rights were stripped last year, filed a lawsuit challenging the changes. Judge Cooper ordered all signage and online materials referring to 'The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts' or similar names removed within 14 days.

Judge Cooper wrote in his decision that 'The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.' According to NPR, Cooper also stated that 'None of the board members had sufficient information in advance of the March 16 meeting to make a well-considered decision to close the center.'

Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, stated that they will appeal the decision according to CBS News and Fox News. 'We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,' Daravi said in an email to NPR.

According to CNBC, Trump later blasted Cooper for the ruling on Truth Social but seemed resigned to his name being pulled off of the Kennedy Center. 'We are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it,' he wrote.

According to Fox News, President Trump has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center's operations since returning to the White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman and added his name to the facade of a building considered a living monument to President John F. Kennedy.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, when asked about removing Trump’s name from the center on CNN's 'State of the Union,' did not commit to doing so within the judge's 14-day deadline. Burgum stated there was controversy on both sides of the ruling and that the refurbishment launched by Trump was badly needed due to structural integrity issues and deterioration in HVAC systems.

Trump described the center as 'rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested' and claimed a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge had prevented him from restoring it. The center has already undergone massive layoffs with more expected during the planned two-year shutdown. Trump's takeover of the center has been marked by controversy, including artists withdrawing performances due to programming changes under his administration.