After Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the name of The Kennedy Center must be returned to its original name; including the website and any materials used by The Center; The Kennedy Center board filed an appeal to overturn the ruling.
In his ruling Judge Cooper noted, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and only Congress can change it.”
“To comply with this order, you must immediately change email signatures, letterheads, and other documents to reflect the name such as ‘The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,’ or ‘Kennedy Center’.
“Other changes, such as to templates and forms, signage, brochures and website pages, must be completed no later than Friday, June 12, 2026,” the memo added.
On June 12, the Appeals Court ruled against the Kennedy Center board and handed down the ruling that only the name of John F. Kennedy should appear on the iconic Performing Arts Center that bears his name and is a memorial in tribute to the 35th president who was assassinated in November 1963.
With threatening storms approaching the nation’s capital, crews erected scaffolding around the section of wall where the Performing Arts Center’s name was posted as a gathering crowd cheered the workers on.
The Kennedy Center had a June 12 deadline to remove the illegal name but continues to fight on hoping to keep the Center’s name as it currently stands.
With a 7pm deadline, the last ditch effort was also turned down.
Over 50,000 people have gathered to watch the removal of the illegal name from the wall of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.