Judge Blocks Kennedy Center Name Change and 2-Year Closure After $257 Million Renovation Push
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 23
Judge Blocks Kennedy Center Name Change and 2-Year Closure After $257 Million Renovation Push
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 23
Summary
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper halted the Kennedy Center’s planned 2-year shutdown and voided the board’s move to rename it for Trump, ruling only Congress can change the federally chartered institution’s name.
Shontel Brown, an Ohio Democrat and Kennedy Center trustee, sued to stop both moves after Trump ousted board members, pushed an “anti-woke” overhaul and triggered artist cancellations.
The renovation fight centers on $257 million Congress approved last year through September 2029 for repairs including theater seats, water damage, drainage and structural work on the parking garage.
After the May ruling, the board dropped the formal renaming but voted to create a Trump endowment funded with private donations, while crews were later seen removing Trump signage from the building.
The dispute fits a broader second-term push by Trump to remake Washington landmarks, with other projects—from a White House ballroom to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool—also drawing legal or cost scrutiny.