US Judge Orders Removal of Trump's Name from Kennedy Center, Halts Renovation

A US federal judge ruled today that the name of President Donald Trump must be removed from the Kennedy Center, and the historic performing arts center must pause its planned two-year closure for renovations, which was set to begin in July. According to The Washington Post and CNN, District Judge Christopher Cooper stated that the law establishing the Kennedy Center clearly mandates it be named after President Kennedy and that the board cannot unilaterally assign any other official name. The White House announced late last year that the board had 'unanimously voted' to change the name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Trump-Kennedy Center. Judge Cooper wrote in his opinion that 'Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.' He ordered the center to remove all signage containing Trump's name within two weeks and update its official website. Additionally, the judge partially granted a preliminary injunction requested by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, temporarily blocking the Trump administration from taking further action to close the center. Trump criticized the ruling on his social media platform, Truth Social.