Judge Orders Trump Name Removed From Kennedy Center, Blocking 2-Year Closure

3 articles · Updated · Fortune · Jun 29

A federal judge’s order has stripped Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center facade and halted the venue’s planned July shutdown for a two-year renovation.
A tarp now covers the section where the letters had been mounted after Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in May that adding Trump’s name to the building was illegal.
Programming remains in limbo: Kennedy Center lawyers said they are not currently planning new events, and Cooper has asked for an update next month on how long the tarp will stay.
Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony unfolded under that cloud Sunday, with comedians including Woody Harrelson and Jay Leno joking about Trump’s effort to remake the institution.
The dispute stems from Trump’s January 2025 overhaul of Kennedy Center leadership and board control, turning the arts venue into a broader test of presidential power.