District Judge Rules Congress Must Approve Kennedy Center Name Change

In a Truth Social post last month, President Trump said he had instructed the Commerce Department to "transfer" the Kennedy Center back to Congress. Last week, lawyers for the Kennedy Center instructed staff to scrub Trump's name from email signatures, letterhead, webpages, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, and signs.

The Kennedy Center restored its original branding and logos to its website.

A Kennedy Center shuttle bus bore an attempt to blot out Trump's name with black marker. On Instagram, the Kennedy Center uses the handle @officialtkc. The Washington National Opera filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Kennedy Center claiming the center has refused to return more than $17 million in gifts and donations.

The Washington National Opera severed its relationship with the Kennedy Center in January. The Washington National Opera has been performing at the Kennedy Center since 1971. In recent months, the Washington National Opera has staged its spring performances at other venues across Washington.

Philip Glass, Béla Fleck, and the San Francisco Ballet cancelled appearances at the Kennedy Center. Jazz drummer Chuck Redd called off a Christmas show at the Kennedy Center and was sued by the center for breach of contract; a judge threw out the case last week. A crowd of more than 200 people gathered in front of the Kennedy Center on Friday night.

On Friday, dozens of people gathered just outside barricades at the Kennedy Center, cheering at any sign of movement or progress. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the Kennedy Center's request for a stay pending appeal on Friday afternoon.

Laura Bligh protested with cardboard signs outside the Kennedy Center all week. Lily Brock jogged from her home to the Kennedy Center when she realized the president's name could be removed imminently. The videos of the Kennedy Center have attracted more than 65,000 views since streaming began on Wednesday.

Hands Off the Arts set up a livestream of the center from a residence in the adjacent Watergate complex. Mallory Miller is a former Kennedy Center employee and an organizer for Hands Off the Arts. The Kennedy Center has grown quieter as it has prepared for a two-year shutdown.

President Trump's name was fastened to the building in December after the trustees voted to rename the center. The letters spelling Trump's name appeared slightly smaller than the original signage, with wider kerning between the characters. A separate federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore signs related to climate change, slavery, and Indigenous and LGBTQ+ history at national parks that had been removed under an executive order.