This is reported by Politico.
The judge also overturned a decision to close the center for two years to make repairs there. According to the judge, the repairs can be done after consultation with the center’s board.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, also known as the Kennedy Center, has been in operation since 1971. U.S. President Donald Trump dissolved the center’s board of trustees in 2025 and appointed new members who elected him chairman and voted to add his name to the center’s title.
Trump has repeatedly said he has a personal interest in rebranding the Kennedy Center. During the hearing, center officials said Trump was directly involved in even the smallest details of the redesign of the complex and ballrooms, from the construction of chairs to the design of decorative columns.
The judge made the ruling after hearing a lawsuit by Joyce Beatty, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who served on the Kennedy Center’s board of directors. According to her, she was deprived of the right to vote in the voting, which decided the question of closing and reconstruction of the center.
Roma Daravi, a spokeswoman for the center, said she expects the court to consider Trump’s “historic contribution” to the cultural center when hearing the appeal.
Representatives from the White House and the DOJ did not respond to requests from reporters. In court, the DOJ argued that the decision to rename the center was legal because it was an unofficial name, with Trump’s name added to the building’s facade in December.
