John F. Kennedy’s family is marking what would have been the former president’s 109th birthday with praise for a federal judge’s ruling that preserves the Kennedy Center’s name and blocks a planned two-year shutdown for renovations. JFK’s niece, Maria Shriver, called the decision a “great birthday gift” for her uncle and said the court found that President Donald Trump and the Kennedy Center Board acted unlawfully in renaming the building. Shriver posted that only Congress has the authority to change the Center’s name, and she acknowledged that an appeal is likely but said the family would celebrate the ruling for now.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Friday, ruling that the board could not lawfully add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center. In his decision, Cooper wrote that Congress gave the performing arts venue its name and only Congress can change it. He ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the facade and from other places, including digital signage and official materials, within 14 days. The ruling also blocked the center’s planned two-year closure for major renovations.
Trump responded sharply on Truth Social, accusing “the Radical Left” of preferring to see the Kennedy Center fail rather than support his efforts to transform it. The dispute follows a board vote in December to add Trump’s name to the building, a move that prompted some scheduled artists to withdraw from performances. In March, the board also approved plans to close the center for extensive renovations. The court ruling now challenges both the naming decision and the renovation timeline, setting up the possibility of an appeal and further legal conflict over the future of the landmark institution.
