Trump can't rename Kennedy Center or close it for renovation for now, judge says

The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts on May 16, 2026 in Washington, DC. Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images A federal judge on Friday barred President Donald Trump from adding his name to that of the Kennedy Center , as he did in late December, saying that only Congress has the authority to make such a change. Judge Christopher Cooper also temporarily blocked the Washington, D.C., cultural landmark from being closed for two years for renovations at the behest of Trump. Cooper, in his ruling , said the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees did not balance its obligations to the center in deciding to shutter for renovations. But the board might be able to close for that purpose "after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion," the judge wrote in the decision in U.S. District Court in Washington. The Kennedy Center's board in December voted to rename the institution the " Trump Kennedy Center ," 10 months after Trump removed several trustees from the board and appointed himself as a trustee. The center's facade was changed to reflect the decision, as were other signs around the facility. Rep. Joyce Beatty , an Ohio Democrat and ex officio member of the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, sued Trump to block that action, and to block her from having her voting rights stripped by the board in May 2025. …