A US federal judge on Friday ordered the removal of the President donald trumprenamed the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and blocked plans to temporarily close the venue for a one-year renovation, ruling that the institution’s board had exceeded its legal authority in both cases.U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered officials to remove all signage bearing Trump’s name within 14 days and to remove references to “Trump Kennedy Center” or “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” from official materials.In a 94-page opinion, Cooper concluded that the Kennedy Center board “overstepped its statutory limits” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the institution. The judge said the law establishing the center made it “clear” that it was to be named after former President John F. Kennedy and that no other formal name or public memorial could be placed based solely on the board’s decision.Cooper wrote, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” They permanently barred the institute from displaying, installing, or maintaining physical or digital signage that would indicate it is named after anyone other than Kennedy.Cooper further ruled that the board’s March 16 vote to close the center for long-term renovation “appeared to be ill-informed and premeditated”, finding no evidence that the trustees had adequately considered how the institution would continue to meet its statutory obligations during a long-term closure. While allowing the renovation work to proceed, the judge said that any future closures would have to take into account the full legislative mandate of the Kennedy Center.This follows a decision by the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees to rename the venue the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts” in December 2025. The move was opposed by lawmakers, historians, and members of the Kennedy family, who argued that only Congress had the authority to rename a monument established by Congress.In February this year, the plan to close the Kennedy Center for a two-year renovation was first announced by Trump, after which the board formally approved the proposal unanimously on March 16, which was closed after the July 4 ceremony.