Federal judge orders Trump’s name removed from Kennedy Center
A federal judge has ruled that the rebranding was illegal and ordered President Donald Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center.
Maria Shriver is celebrating a federal judge’s decision to reverse the rebranding of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, calling it a fitting tribute to her late uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
In a May 29 post for X magazine, Shriver praised the court’s ruling on the attempt to rename the cultural institution and celebrated what would have been President Kennedy’s 109th birthday.
“Today is a fitting birthday present for my uncle,” Shriver wrote. “A federal judge has ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board of Directors acted illegally in renaming the Kennedy Center. The judge ruled that only Congress can change the center’s name and blocked its planned two-year closure.”
She expects the legal battle to continue, but added that the decision is worth celebrating.
“I know they’ll probably appeal and the story isn’t over yet, but today let’s celebrate a great birthday present.”
Judge orders Trump’s name removed
Shriver’s comments came hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center’s board acted illegally when it voted to change its name to the Trump Kennedy Center in December.
The 94-page ruling ordered the center to remove President Donald Trump’s name from its buildings, website and official materials within 14 days. Mr. Cooper found that the board’s actions violated federal law establishing the center, and wrote that the venue was intended to honor Mr. Kennedy alone.
The venue is named after Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Congress officially redesignated the National Cultural Center as the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center through legislation signed in 1964, establishing the facility as a national monument to JFK.
The judge also concluded that only Congress has the power to change an agency’s name.
The ruling marks a significant setback for President Trump’s efforts to reshape the nation’s premier performing arts center, which he has criticized for what he calls “woke” programming.
President Trump slammed Truth Social’s decision and said he would work with Congress to return control of the agency to lawmakers. Meanwhile, Kennedy Center officials and the Justice Department have indicated they plan to appeal.
For supporters of the decision, including members of the Kennedy family, the timing had symbolic significance. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was born on May 29, 1917, making it especially noteworthy that the decision was announced on his birthday.
Closure plans also thwarted
In addition to reversing the name change, Cooper also scrapped plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years starting in July while major renovations take place.
The judge questioned whether board members were given enough information before approving the closure, noting that many people learned of the proposal through President Trump’s social media posts before the board formally discussed it.
Cooper wrote that directors were being denied a meaningful opportunity to evaluate what he described as one of the most important decisions in the center’s history.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or X @athompsonUSAT.
