Kennedy Center Board Votes to Close as Judge Blocks Trump Name From Building

A federal judge on September 15 blocked the Kennedy Center board from placing President Donald Trump's name on the building or its grounds in any way, a ruling that came four months after the same judge, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, issued an initial order barring the renaming. The legal challenge was brought by Representative Joyce Beatty, who sued over the board's efforts to inscribe the building with the phrase "Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump."

On the same day as the ruling, the Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board voted to close the facility, citing financial difficulties and the ongoing dispute over the branding conflict with the president. The closure, described as being for renovations, follows a protracted legal and institutional battle that began earlier in 2026 when the board first voted to shut down the main building for a roughly $250 million renovation and add Trump's name, only to be temporarily blocked by Judge Cooper on both counts.

The board had voted again in August to re-inscribe Trump's name and move forward with up to a two-year partial closure of the iconic Washington performing arts venue, but agreed not to act on the naming until at least September 8 while the court considered an emergency request for relief. The September 15 ruling and the board's simultaneous vote to close mark a significant escalation of a dispute that has shadowed one of Washington's most prominent cultural institutions throughout 2026.