Judge Rules Congress Holds Exclusive Authority Over Kennedy Center Naming

The Kennedy Center informed a federal judge on Saturday that all references to the president have been removed from the building, grounds and website in compliance with a court order. Construction crews erected scaffolding and began removing lettering added to the facade in December, restoring the original name that has been in place since 1964.

Several dozen people gathered and cheered as the work proceeded.

A federal judge ruled last month that the center's board did not have authority to change the name, stating that only Congress can alter the designation given by statute. The Justice Department filed a certification shortly before the noon deadline confirming the removal work had concluded.

The center had sought a 12-hour delay on Friday night, citing thunderstorms, and told the court the work would finish in the early hours of Saturday.

The Kennedy Center filed an emergency appeal late Thursday asking an appeals court to pause the order. The appeals court denied the request on Friday night. In the filing, the center argued for the first time that removing the name would require returning hundreds of millions of dollars in renovation pledges because donors had conditioned gifts on the new name appearing on the building.

Lawyers for the Democratic lawmaker who filed the original suit told the appeals court the funding argument was meritless because it had not been raised in the lower court.

The May ruling also blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations that the board had approved. The judge described those plans as an ill-informed and seemingly preordained decision. The president's name had already been removed from the center's website by Monday, returning the site to its prior branding.

“Today's victory is the beginning of returning the Kennedy Center to the American people. The rule of law prevailed, and that is worth celebrating.”