Federal Judge Blocks Trump Name From Kennedy Center Building and Grounds

A federal judge on Tuesday barred the Kennedy Center from putting President Donald Trump's name back on the performing arts venue, ruling that doing so would contravene an earlier decision that his name had been added unlawfully.

Judge Christopher Cooper said the center's board could not install memorials for the president, or for anyone or anything else, without approval from Congress. "Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing," Cooper wrote.

The Trump-aligned board had voted in August to inscribe the president's name on the venue's facade, which would have read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump." The move was intended to recognize his renovation efforts.

Under the board's plan, a further inscription reading "Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund" would have been added if the fund reached $100 million. The plaza in front of the center would also have been renamed in Trump's honor.

The ruling prevents the board from carrying out those changes, leaving the naming of the landmark venue and its grounds subject to congressional action.