A federal judge has prohibited the Kennedy Center board from reinstating President Donald Trump’s name on the Washington, D.C., arts venue or renaming its grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.” In a 22-page ruling issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper emphasized that the board lacks the authority to install memorials for the president or any other individual without explicit approval from Congress.
“Simply put,” Cooper wrote, “Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing. The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.”
The decision is part of an ongoing lawsuit filed last December by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board. Beatty originally sought to block the board’s attempt to rename the institution “The Trump Kennedy Center.” The current board is largely composed of Trump allies appointed by the president, who also serves as the center’s chair.
Cooper’s ruling was delivered just minutes before the board was scheduled to meet regarding whether to close the facility immediately for major renovations. Administrators have recently warned that the main building’s physical plant is unsafe and that the center’s finances are weeks away from insolvency. Beatty’s lawsuit does not address the renovation plans themselves.
While the judge blocked the renaming of the physical space, he left open the question of whether the board can designate its planned $100 million fundraising campaign as “The Trump Kennedy Center Fund” or add related plaques. Noting that the fund has not yet raised any money, Cooper did not rule on that specific aspect of the case. The board has argued in court and publicly that Trump is essential to executing such a large-scale fundraising effort and renovation project, and therefore deserves prominent credit through signage.
Since Trump returned to the presidency, attendance and ticket sales at the center, which opened on September 8, 1971, have dropped significantly. Numerous high-profile artists have canceled performances, citing concerns that the institution has been politicized under Trump’s leadership. In a separate legal matter, the Kennedy Center was ordered to pay $250,000 in legal fees to a musician who canceled a show in protest.
In a statement sent to NPR, Beatty condemned the board’s actions. “The law is extremely clear: The John F. Kennedy Center is named for President Kennedy – and no one else,” she said. “But President Trump is holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial. The Court just rejected this proposal for the second time. This unlawfulness is as breathtaking as it is wrong, and it needs to stop.”
Trump holding the Kennedy Center hostage… quite the metaphor coming from someone who basically owns it now. History is weird like that.
I’m surprised this even made it to court. Trump wants his name everywhere, but the Constitution doesn’t care about his ego.
The financial crisis at the center is scary, but renaming it after the chair isn’t the solution. Artists leaving is a real problem though.
Wait, so they can still rename the fundraising campaign? That seems like a huge loophole in an otherwise solid ruling.
Judge Cooper got it right. Congress decides names, not a board full of political appointees. This is about upholding the law.