Overview
- The Kennedy Center told a federal court on Saturday that it had removed all physical signage and institutional references to President Trump, and workers took down letters from the building façade overnight.
- U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found on May 29 that the board lacked authority to rename the center because Congress established its official name, and he also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations.
- A D.C. Circuit panel declined to immediately freeze Cooper's order and asked the parties for additional written briefs later this month, so the district court ruling remains in force for now.
- Lawyers for the Kennedy Center and the Department of Justice warned the courts that removing Trump-related naming could trigger contractual or statutory donor-return obligations potentially involving hundreds of millions of dollars.
- The dispute follows a Trump-appointed board vote last December to add the president's name, which drew protests from artists and the Kennedy family and has left the center's leadership, programming and finances uncertain as the legal fight continues.