A federal judge ruled that the Kennedy Center's name must remain unchanged and that the board cannot unilaterally decide to close the center for renovations.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper has barred Trump from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The Judge also temporarily blocked the board of the performing arts landmark from closing it for two years for renovations, as Trump wanted. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/29/trump-kennedy-center-judge-beatty.html https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/29/judge-blocks-trump-kennedy-center-renaming-closure-00943068 #UsPol 1/n

A federal judge on Friday barred Donald Trump from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center. The judge also temporarily blocked the Washington, D.C., cultural landmark from being closed for two years for 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. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/29/trump-kennedy-center-judge-beatty.html