- A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump from renaming the Kennedy Center the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and from forcing its closure for repairs.
- District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that Congress made it “crystal clear” the institution is named after John F. Kennedy, asserting that only Congress can change its name, not a unilateral decision by a Trump-appointed board.
- The judge found the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees acted “derelict” by agreeing to close the center at Trump’s request, basing their decision on an “insufficient, one-sided presentation of information.”
- Charles Matthew Floca, the center’s executive director, had previously argued that stripping Trump’s name would cause significant financial damage, citing Trump’s fundraising efforts and commitments of $150 billion from private donors.
- The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, an ex officio trustee, who challenged the board’s decision to permanently add Trump’s name to the building, labeling it a “personal vanity project.”
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