The Trump administration has filed a court response asserting that its decision to rename the Kennedy Center does not breach a federal judge’s May ruling that only Congress may alter the performing arts center’s name.
In a filing submitted late Monday, the Justice Department argued that the Kennedy Center board’s August 13 vote to amend the building’s signage—including adding a reference to Donald J. Trump—falls within permissible donor acknowledgment practices. The board, composed largely of presidential appointees, voted 20-3 to change the facade to read The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump and to designate the grounds as President Donald J. Trump Plaza. Previously, the center’s marble facade bore the name The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The administration also warned that without repairs, the structure risks becoming unsafe, stating that major efforts are required to prevent further deterioration that could necessitate demolition. Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that the venue must be named solely for President John F. Kennedy, as Congress designated it in 1963 following his assassination.
U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board member, filed a motion last week seeking to halt the renaming, arguing that the changes violate the judge’s order. Her lawyer, Nathaniel Zelinsky, described the administration’s filing as legally unsound. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday in D.C. federal court.
The dispute follows a series of legal challenges initiated by Beatty last year after the Kennedy Center altered its marble facade. Earlier this year, Trump’s name was removed from the facade, which has remained covered by a tarp. A federal appeals court denied the administration’s request in July to keep the name during the appeal process.
