President Donald Trump’s effort to rename the Kennedy Center after himself is illegal, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said renaming the institution honoring President John F. Kennedy the “Trump-Kennedy Center” violated the clear language of federal law requiring the building to honor “President Kennedy and President Kennedy alone.”
The order to restore the original, long-standing name came as part ofa broader decisionwhich also canceled the plan announced in March forto close the center for two yearsfor repairs. Cooper, an Obama appointee, said renovations to the campus could continue and outright closures in the future could be legal if the center’s board is consulted more thoroughly.
But he criticized the board for making its decision to close based on “inadequate, one-sided reporting” that “neglected to consider the full range of its legal obligations and the potential adverse effects of closing programs and memorial activities.”
A few hours after the decision, Trump said in asocial media postthat he would abandon his efforts to rebuild the Kennedy Center and direct his administration to transfer the center’s oversight to Congress.
Cooper’s decision is a major blow to Trump, who has made clear his personal contribution to the renaming and renovation of the Kennedy Center. Officials at the performing arts center told Cooper in testimony hearings about Trump’s direct involvement in even the minutiae of the remodeled campus and ballrooms, from the details of the seats to the plans for the exposed steel exterior to the design of the decorative columns.
A Justice Department spokesperson said it “will continue to defend President Trump’s ability to restore the Center to its former status as the best performing arts center in the country — if not the world.”
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, said it remains “committed to pursuing every legal means to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”
During the trial, the Justice Department also argued that the building’s name as the Trump-Kennedy Center was valid because it was an unofficial nickname, despite the fact that Trump’s name was added to the building’s marble facade last December.
But Cooper cited an official statement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt describing the station’s official “rebranding” and other efforts to promote the new name, concluding that they “reflect more than an innocent nickname.”
Cooper’s decision against Trump’s plans came in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), who serves as a former member of the center’s board. He claimed in the lawsuit that the Trump administration’s actions unlawfully denied him the authority to vote on closing and revising the program, and interfered with the board members’ legal responsibility to maintain the president’s memorial and current arts program.
InAnother Friday ruleCooper denied the preservation group’s request to force the Kennedy Center to consult with outside groups before carrying out its planned renovations. The judge said the scope of work described by the center’s current executive director, Matt Floca, does not appear to require such consultation.
Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
