A federal judge ordered the Kennedy Centre name restored by removing President Donald Trump’s name from the Washington, D.C., building within 14 days.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the ruling on Friday, May 29. The date marked what would have been John F. Kennedy’s 109th birthday.
Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, called the decision “a great birthday gift” for her uncle in a social media post.
Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center’s board violated the 1964 law that named the institution for Kennedy. The law followed Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963.
JUDGE BLOCKS FUND: "If they are going to take my name off of it… it’s not worth my time."
President Trump is pushing to completely transfer the operation of the Kennedy Center over to Congress after a federal judge ruled his name must be stripped from the building. @pdoocy… pic.twitter.com/O0bbGkxZKX
— Special Report (@SpecialReport) May 29, 2026The judge said Congress gave the center its name. He added that only Congress could change it. Cooper also halted Trump’s plan to close the center for a two-year rebuilding project.
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Trump criticised the ruling on Truth Social. He said his administration would work with Congress on the institution’s future.
