Court Orders President's Name Removed From The Kennedy Center, Ruling Only Congress Can Rename It
He had himself installed as chairman, then his name appeared on the building. A judge has now taken it back off.
WASHINGTON—A federal judge has ordered the removal of the president’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the decision to add it was unlawful because only Congress has the power to rename the institution.
The dispute traces back to early 2025, when the president had himself installed as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board, replacing the sitting appointees, after which his name began appearing on the center’s branding. Judge Christopher Cooper of the federal district court in Washington ruled that Congress had given the Kennedy Center its name, and that only Congress could change it.
At its core, this is a fight over a name on a building. But it also captures a recurring pattern of the era: the reflex to put the name on the thing, and the courts’ recurring job of quietly taking it back off.
It remains one of the few disputes in Washington that could be resolved, in its entirety, with a ladder.
Sources: CNN
