Judge Blocks Kennedy Center Demolition Without 30-Day Notice

A federal judge ruled that Trump must give 30 days' notice before demolishing the Kennedy Center. Trump had said the building would be torn down unless it carried his name, and by the next morning the site was fenced off and closed to the public. Judge Christopher Cooper's order covered demolition, Congress had budgeted $257 million for repairs, and the ousted board of the Institute of Peace separately sued to stop Trump's name from being engraved on its facade.

Judge Christopher Cooper’s order requires 30 days’ advance notice before any demolition of the Kennedy Center. The dispute follows Trump’s statement that the building would be torn down unless it bore his name; by the next morning, barriers surrounded the site and it was shut to visitors. Congress had already allocated $257 million for repairs, which Trump has tied to adding his name.

Separately, the ousted board of the Institute of Peace sued to prevent Trump’s name from being engraved on that building’s facade. The State Department had renamed the institute in December 2025, and Trump’s name appeared atop its facade months before the board’s legal challenge.