A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to rename and close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, delivering a major setback to the administration’s effort to remake the institution.
In a 94-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that a 1964 federal law designating the facility as the “sole national memorial to the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy within the city of Washington and its environs” prevents the center’s board from rebranding the hall without congressional approval. Judge Cooper found the board exceeded its authority and issued an injunction halting the renaming and the planned two-year closure for renovations.
The judge ordered the immediate removal of 18 large letters recently mounted on the center’s white marble façade that added the president’s name to the building’s signage. The institution was given two weeks to take down Trump’s name from the exterior and all official branding.
Judge Cooper also temporarily enjoined the board’s decision to shutter the center for a sweeping renovation that had been scheduled to start after Independence Day. The opinion faulted trustees for reaching a “preordained” decision based on an “insufficient, one-sided presentation of information,” saying they failed to weigh legal obligations to preserve the memorial and the likely harm to arts programming.
The ruling restored voting rights to ex officio trustees who had been sidelined, including Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, who brought the lawsuit after the Trump-aligned board sought to exclude her. That restoration was part of the court’s effort to preserve the center’s governance structure while the dispute proceeds.
Critics have described the changes at the Kennedy Center as a partisan takeover during Trump’s second term. Shortly after the administration returned to office, several Biden-appointed board members were removed and replaced with Trump allies, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, adviser Dan Scavino and Usha Vance. The reconstituted board dismissed the center’s longtime president and installed the president himself as chairman.
The upheaval sent shock waves through the country’s premier performing-arts institution. Donors, audiences and performers reportedly reacted badly: ticket sales fell, some major productions such as Hamilton withdrew, and the Washington National Opera ended its 55-year residency. In advance of the planned closure, the center laid off staff, canceled Broadway tours and relocated performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, actions critics said subordinated artistic priorities to political aims.
President Trump reacted angrily on his social platform, attacking Judge Cooper as a “Radical Left Democrat” and criticizing the judge’s wife, attorney Amy Jeffress, because of her past work representing political figures. The president defended the renovation plan, characterizing the facility as “dilapidated,” “rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested,” and calling the overhaul a “Gift to Washington, D.C.” He argued opponents preferred the center’s failure to his restoration plans.
After the court’s decision, Trump signaled he might abandon the project, saying it was “impossible for me to be treated fairly” and that he had “no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey.” He directed the Department of Commerce to arrange a “full and complete transfer” of the center’s operations back to Congress.
The board said it intends to appeal. Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president for public relations, warned that removing the president’s name could cause “irreparable harm” to fundraising efforts. Meanwhile, staff and observers say significant damage has already occurred: relationships with donors and arts partners have frayed and programming has been disrupted.
For now, the nation’s official memorial to President Kennedy remains entangled in a bitter political and legal battle, with the injunction preserving the status quo while courts consider the broader questions about congressional mandates, memorial preservation and the limits of board authority.