US judge orders removal of Trump’s name from Kennedy Center

WEB DESK: A United States federal judge has ordered the immediate removal of former President Donald Trump’s name from the prestigious Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the landmark Washington DC venue cannot be renamed without explicit congressional approval, according to BBC News.

District Judge Christopher Cooper on Friday also blocked the centre’s proposed temporary closure for extensive renovations, which were scheduled to begin on July 4 this year.

According to the 94-page judicial order, Trump’s name must be stripped from the institution’s official title, its physical façade, digital signage, and all promotional materials within 14 days.

The legal battle ensued after Trump, who appointed himself as a trustee and was subsequently voted in as the arts centre’s chairman last year, announced the addition of his name to the institution.

By December, the board had decided to officially rename the venue “The Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” with new lettering affixed to the front portico the following day.

However, the rebranding triggered a severe backlash, resulting in widespread cancellations by booked artists and plummeting ticket sales.

A violation of congressional authority

In his detailed opinion, Judge Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, stated that the board had no legal standing to alter the historical identity of the building on its own whims.

“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. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

The legal challenge was spearheaded by board member Joyce Beatty, an Ohio congresswoman and Democrat, alongside several former trustees.

The plaintiffs alleged in their lawsuit that they had been unlawfully stripped of their voting rights on crucial board matters, later amending the suit to contest the planned two-year closure for repairs.

Following the verdict, Beatty hailed the decision, stating it rightly affirmed that the administration’s efforts had “no basis in law,” adding that the centre belongs to the American people rather than an individual’s vanity.

Centre vows to appeal layout changes

Reacting to the abrupt judicial setback, Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi confirmed that the institution would appeal the name-change mandate and review the decision regarding the renovation block.

Daravi maintained that the board’s decision was intended to recognise Trump’s historic contributions, pointing out that $257m had been successfully secured and approved by Congress for urgent restorations. “We remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Trump took to social media to voice his displeasure, indicating he would bypass the court’s interference by engaging directly with lawmakers.

Writing on Truth Social, he claimed he would be “working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them,” adding that unless he was permitted to revitalise the centre physically, financially, and artistically, he had no interest in continuing what he termed a “hopeless journey.”

Following the court’s intervention, the venue’s name will revert solely to the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, the designation it has held since it opened in 1971 to honour the assassinated US president.