Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, May 30: A US federal judge has temporarily blocked efforts by President Donald Trump and his handpicked board to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and close it for two years for renovations.

In a 94-page ruling issued on Friday, US District Judge Christopher Cooper held that the board lacked the authority to rename the institution, stating that only Congress could alter the name established by law.

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote.

The judge ordered the administration to remove Trump's name from the building and the centre's website within 14 days.

The dispute arose after the board approved the title “The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” a move that drew criticism from lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family.

Rejecting the administration's argument that the change was merely an additional title and not a renaming, Cooper said the move effectively relegated former President John F. Kennedy to second place.

“If that is not a renaming, what is?” the judge wrote.

Cooper also issued a preliminary injunction preventing the centre from being closed for two years, finding that the board's decision had been based on insufficient information and failed to consider its broader legal obligations.

The board had voted in March to shut the facility after July 4 to undertake major repairs and renovations. Trump, who appointed himself chairman of the board last year, had supported the closure, arguing it was the most efficient way to carry out restoration work.

However, the judge clarified that necessary repairs could still proceed and that the board could revisit the issue if proper procedures were followed.

Following the ruling, Trump criticised the decision in a lengthy post on Truth Social and suggested he may distance himself from the institution.

“I cannot be involved with a situation where danger to the Public is allowed to flourish in plain and open sight,” Trump wrote, adding that he would work with Congress to transfer responsibility for the centre back to lawmakers.

A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said the institution was confident the decision would be overturned on appeal and maintained that significant restoration work remained urgently necessary.

The lawsuit was filed by Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the centre's board, who argued that the renaming and closure violated federal law.

Beatty welcomed the ruling, saying the Kennedy Center belongs to the American people and not to any individual president.

The decision was also praised by members of the Kennedy family, including Kerry Kennedy, who described it as an appropriate tribute to the legacy of President Kennedy.

The controversy forms part of a broader debate over the increasing use of Trump's name and branding on public institutions and federal initiatives during his second term in office.