Federal Judge Rules Trump's Name Must Be Removed from Kennedy Center

A federal judge ruled on June 12, 2026, that President Donald Trump's name must be removed from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This decision follows a previous ruling made by Judge Christopher Cooper on May 29, which stated that the name change was unlawful. The Trump administration had sought to suspend this ruling while appealing to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, but Cooper denied their request, stating that the defendants did not demonstrate a likelihood of success on appeal and that a stay would not serve the public interest. The Kennedy Center had been renamed the Trump Kennedy Center in December 2025, following Trump's appointment of himself as a trustee after removing several other trustees. Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio and a Kennedy Center trustee, filed a lawsuit to block the renaming. Cooper emphasized that only Congress has the authority to change the name of the Kennedy Center, which is designated to honor President John F. Kennedy.