Maria Shriver celebrates Kennedy Center ruling as birthday gift for JFK
Maria Shriver celebrates Kennedy Center ruling as birthday gift for JFK
Anthony Thompson, USA TODAY Sat, May 30, 2026 at 8:34 PM UTC
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Maria Shriver is celebrating a federal judge's decision to reverse the rebranding of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, calling it a fitting tribute to her late uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
In a post on X on May 29, Shriver marked what would have been Kennedy's 109th birthday by praising the court's ruling against efforts to rename the cultural institution.
"An appropriate birthday present on my uncle's birthday today," Shriver wrote. "A federal judge ruled that President Trump and the Kennedy Center Board acted unlawfully in renaming the Kennedy Center. The judge held that only Congress can change the Center's name and blocked the planned two-year closure."
She added that she expects the legal battle to continue but said the decision was worth celebrating.
"I know they'll probably appeal and the story isn't over, but for today let's celebrate a great birthday gift."
Judge orders Trump name removed
Shriver's comments came hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center's board acted unlawfully when it voted in December to rename the institution the "Trump-Kennedy Center."
The 94-page ruling ordered the center to remove President Donald Trump's name from the building, website and official materials within 14 days. Cooper found that the board's actions conflicted with the federal law establishing the center, writing that the venue was intended to honor Kennedy alone.
The venue was named in Kennedy's honor after his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. Congress formally redesignated the National Cultural Center as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through legislation signed into law in 1964, establishing the institution as a national memorial to JFK.
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The judge also concluded that only Congress has the authority to change the institution's name.
The ruling represents a significant setback for Trump's efforts to reshape the nation's premier performing arts center, which he has criticized for what he calls "woke" programming.
Trump blasted the decision on Truth Social and said he would work with Congress to transfer control of the institution back to lawmakers. Meanwhile, Kennedy Center officials and the Justice Department indicated they plan to appeal.
For supporters of the ruling, including members of the Kennedy family, the timing carried symbolic significance. Kennedy, the nation's 35th president, was born May 29, 1917, making the decision's release on his birthday especially notable.
Closure plans also blocked
In addition to reversing the name change, Cooper struck down plans to close the Kennedy Center for two years beginning in July while extensive renovations were carried out.
The judge questioned whether trustees were given sufficient information before approving the closure, noting that many learned of the proposal through Trump's social media posts before formally discussing it as a board.
Cooper wrote that trustees were deprived of a meaningful opportunity to evaluate what he described as one of the most significant decisions in the center's history.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shriver celebrates Kennedy Center ruling on JFK's birthday
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