A federal judge, appointed during Barack Obama’s administration, has prohibited Donald Trump from having his name added to the Kennedy Center.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper determined that the Kennedy Center Board’s choice to include Trump’s name on the venue for performing arts was against the law.
The lawsuit against Trump was filed by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, who is involved in the case due to her role as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, a position she holds as a member of Congress.
Judge Cooper emphasized, “The Kennedy Center’s foundational statute clearly states that the Center is to be named after President Kennedy, and it cannot carry any other formal name or public memorial based solely on the Board’s discretion.”
He continued, “The name was bestowed by Congress, and only Congress holds the authority to alter it.”
Neither the White House nor Beatty’s office responded immediately to requests for comment from the Daily Mail.
‘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,’ spokesman Roma Daravi told the Daily Mail in a statement.
Cooper also ruled that Trump could not close the center for two years for renovations.
Workers added President Donald Trump’s name to the facade of the Kennedy Center in December. A federal judge ruled Friday that Trump’s name cannot be included
Donald Trump with First Lady Melania Trump in the president’s box at the Kennedy Center during the opening night of Chicago in March
In December, Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously to rename the performing arts center ‘The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.’
A day later, workers were seen adding new lettering to the building’s historic mid-century facade.
That prompted an outcry from members of the public and the Kennedy family, as the arts center was intended to be a functioning memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
Congress had dedicated the planned arts center to JFK in 1964, the year following his assassination.
Trump had put the center under the control of Richard Grenell, who was the President’s acting Director of National Intelligence during his first term, and was also serving as a special envoy while in the Kennedy Center post.
Attendance sagged, however, as some artists staged boycotts and others were scrubbed from the schedule for being too ‘woke.’
Grenell warned the Daily Mail in December that the building was in such disrepair that some engineers suggested tearing down the landmark and starting over.
In February, Trump announced that the ‘Trump Kennedy Center’ would close for two years so the building could be renovated.
The facade of the Kennedy Center in January after Trump’s name was added to the facade of the historic performing arts center
Signage outside the Kennedy Center includes the President’s name
And in March, the President announced Grenell would be stepping down.
The Kennedy Center was set to close on July 5, a day after the country’s 250th birthday celebration.
In his ruling Friday, Cooper said not so fast – saying that repairs could go forward and a closure could be lawful, if the board was more thoughtful.
Cooper said the board’s closure decision was based on ‘an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information’ and ‘neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions.’
Daravi said the judge’s decision will be carefully reviewed ‘though the reality remains – the center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges.’
‘With $257million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy,’ Daravi added.
Maria Shriver, the daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, JFK’s sister, pointed out that the news couldn’t have happened on a better day – JFK’s birthday.
‘An appropriate birthday present on my uncle’s birthday today. A federal judge ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board acted unlawfully in renaming the Kennedy Center,’ she posted to X. ‘The judge held that only Congress can change the Center’s name and blocked the planned two-year closure.’
‘I know they’ll probably appeal and the story isn’t over, but for today let’s celebrate a great birthday gift,’ she said.
