Sarah K. Burris
May 29, 2026
ALTERNET
US District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper shot down President Donald Trump's effort to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after himself, citing the congressional laws that established the institution, making the name of it "abundantly clear."
"Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center’s public spaces. As a result, the Kennedy Center Board’s decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump’s name to the building’s façade, violate Congress’s unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," the judge wrote in his 94-page opinion.
"And because the Defendants are currently in violation of Congress's express statutory direction, the Court will order that they remove President Trump's name from the institution's title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials," it continues.
The Center is meant to memorialize "President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone," Judge Cooper ruled.
He also made it clear that the name can't be redesignated as the "Trump-Kennedy Center" even if it was a "nickname" or an unofficial name. The statute is clear that even in that case, it would violate the law.
Judge Cooper adds that Trump's decision to close the Center down for two years was "a dereliction of common law duty of prudence," explained Lawfare's Roger Parloff.
The ruling came on what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday.
Legal expert and Trump foe Norm Eisen celebrated the ruling for his colleagues at the litigation group Democracy Defenders Action
He called it a one-two-punch, "the renaming and the closure of the Kennedy Center are enjoined."
"About time," cheered former prosecutor Joyce Vance.
"The ruling is a stinging blow for the president, who has made clear his personal stake in the rebranding and remodeling of the Kennedy Center," wrote Politico in its report.
" Trump wants to unilaterally decide everything and put his face and name everywhere for what was supposed to be nonpartisan with congressional oversight and then MAGA pretends to be confused as to why anyone would take issue with that," lawyer Damin Toell said on X.
“'Why don’t acts want to play at the Trump Kennedy Center, it’s a total mystery, they must hate America' vibes," replied The Bulwark's Sonny Bunch.
It prompted questions from followers about how quickly Trump's name must be removed. But another was concerned that Trump might order the building bulldozed after he took down the East Wing of the White House. One grandfather offered to help remove the sign.
"Remember that while Trump might get away with some of the stupid and childish stuff he pulls in the short-term, in the long-term courts overturn him 9 times out of 10. Today he got walloped over his Kennedy Center antics," said one person promoting Eisen's announcement.
"If this is the thing that finally causes him to stroke out, I will sing the entirety of Les Misérables on the Kennedy Center steps," pledged one man.
Writer Aaron Von Dorn said that he continues to find it "wild" that Trump shamelessly put his name on a Kennedy memorial. "I just cannot understand that kind of raw need."
US District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper shot down President Donald Trump's effort to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after himself, citing the congressional laws that established the institution, making the name of it "abundantly clear."
"Congress likewise took pains to ensure that no other memorial-like dedication would grace the Center’s public spaces. As a result, the Kennedy Center Board’s decision to rename the Center, along with its decision to affix President Trump’s name to the building’s façade, violate Congress’s unequivocal mandate. As stated at the outset, Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," the judge wrote in his 94-page opinion.
"And because the Defendants are currently in violation of Congress's express statutory direction, the Court will order that they remove President Trump's name from the institution's title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials," it continues.
The Center is meant to memorialize "President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone," Judge Cooper ruled.
He also made it clear that the name can't be redesignated as the "Trump-Kennedy Center" even if it was a "nickname" or an unofficial name. The statute is clear that even in that case, it would violate the law.
Judge Cooper adds that Trump's decision to close the Center down for two years was "a dereliction of common law duty of prudence," explained Lawfare's Roger Parloff.
The ruling came on what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday.
Legal expert and Trump foe Norm Eisen celebrated the ruling for his colleagues at the litigation group Democracy Defenders Action
He called it a one-two-punch, "the renaming and the closure of the Kennedy Center are enjoined."
"About time," cheered former prosecutor Joyce Vance.
"The ruling is a stinging blow for the president, who has made clear his personal stake in the rebranding and remodeling of the Kennedy Center," wrote Politico in its report.
" Trump wants to unilaterally decide everything and put his face and name everywhere for what was supposed to be nonpartisan with congressional oversight and then MAGA pretends to be confused as to why anyone would take issue with that," lawyer Damin Toell said on X.
“'Why don’t acts want to play at the Trump Kennedy Center, it’s a total mystery, they must hate America' vibes," replied The Bulwark's Sonny Bunch.
It prompted questions from followers about how quickly Trump's name must be removed. But another was concerned that Trump might order the building bulldozed after he took down the East Wing of the White House. One grandfather offered to help remove the sign.
"Remember that while Trump might get away with some of the stupid and childish stuff he pulls in the short-term, in the long-term courts overturn him 9 times out of 10. Today he got walloped over his Kennedy Center antics," said one person promoting Eisen's announcement.
"If this is the thing that finally causes him to stroke out, I will sing the entirety of Les Misérables on the Kennedy Center steps," pledged one man.
Writer Aaron Von Dorn said that he continues to find it "wild" that Trump shamelessly put his name on a Kennedy memorial. "I just cannot understand that kind of raw need."
Judge tramples Trump's attempt to rename the Kennedy Center
May 29, 2026
A federal judge has ordered that President Donald Trump cannot rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, nor may he close it for what the Trump administration said were two years of renovations.
“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,” the judge wrote, CNBC reports. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
The judicial decision arrived on May 29, the day birth of John F. Kennedy, for whom the building was named in honor.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been a Washington, D.C. cultural institution since its dedication in 1971, serving as a national memorial to the 35th president following his assassination in 1963. Established by an act of Congress, the Kennedy Center operates under a specific congressional mandate that designates it as a living memorial to President Kennedy. The institution's governing statute, passed by Congress, explicitly establishes the center's name and purpose, making any unilateral changes subject to congressional authority rather than presidential discretion.
Trump's attempt to rename the facility and close it for extended renovations represents one of several recent efforts by his administration to reshape Washington's cultural and institutional landscape. Earlier this year, Trump attempted to add his name to other historic buildings and monuments, prompting legal challenges from government watchdog groups and constitutional scholars who argue the president lacks unilateral authority to alter congressionally-designated memorials.
The Trump administration had not publicly specified what name it intended to give the Kennedy Center, though the timing of the closure announcement—paired with Trump's broader efforts to rebrand federal institutions—suggested the proposed changes aligned with his administration's priorities. The two-year renovation timeline would have effectively removed one of Washington's premier cultural venues from public access during a significant portion of his term.
Federal judges have increasingly scrutinized Trump administration actions that exceed traditional presidential authority. This ruling reinforces the principle that congressional statutes create binding legal constraints on executive power, particularly regarding institutions explicitly established by legislative action. The decision also underscores ongoing judicial resistance to what critics characterize as executive overreach in areas traditionally reserved for congressional authority. The Kennedy Center ruling may establish precedent for other challenges to Trump administration attempts to unilaterally alter federally-designated memorials and institutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment