A U.S. federal judge has ordered the removal of Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ruling that the institution cannot be renamed without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper stated in his 94-page opinion that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and only Congress can change it.”
The court concluded that the board overstepped its legal authority by unilaterally adding the president’s name to the historic landmark last year.
In addition to the name change, the judge blocked plans to close the venue for two years, citing that the board’s decision was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”
Officials must now remove all physical and digital signage bearing Trump’s name within 14 days.
Following the ruling, Trump announced he would work to transfer the center’s management to Congress, stating:
“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially and artistically, I have no interest in continuing.”
Representative Joyce Beatty, who brought the lawsuit, celebrated the decision declaring, “The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.”
Journalist Maria Shriver also praised the outcome calling it “a great birthday gift” for her uncle JFK.
