Kennedy Center staff directed to remove Trump's name by June 12

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WASHINGTON — Attorneys for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have instructed the center's staff to remove signs and other materials with President Donald Trump's name in the institution's title by June 12 to comply with a judge's order.The center's legal counsel, in a June 4 memo obtained by USA TODAY, directed employees to immediately change email signatures, letterhead and other documents to reflect the name as "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” or “Kennedy Center."Other changes to signs ‒ including taking down Trump's name from the building's facade ‒ as well as templates, forms, brochures and website pages, must be completed no later than Friday, June 12, the memo says.The memo follows U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper's May 29 opinion ordering the removal of Trump's name from the Kennedy Center's title within 14 days, includes taking down signage and stripping Trump's name from all official materials. The judge ruled the president's name was added to the center illegally.The Trump administration has said it will appeal the decision, yet Trump shortly after the ruling said he planned to transfer control of the center to Congress.“We are complying with the court’s order while evaluating all legal options to preserve this revitalization and recognize President Trump’s leadership," Roma Daravi, the center's vice president of public relations, said in a statement.The center's board voted in December to rename the Kennedy Center the "Trump-Kennedy Center." In less than 24 hours, the action was followed with new signage on the building's exterior that reads "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, made up of primarily Trump loyalists, violated the 1964 federal law that created the center to honor the 35th president, arguing the statute makes clear "the Kennedy Center must be named for, and is meant to honor, President Kennedy alone."Kennedy Center 'considering options' after judge blocks two-year closureIn his ruling, Cooper also overturned Trump's planned two-year closure of the Kennedy Center that was set to begin in July to accommodate massive renovations to the building.In the memo, the center's legal counsel argued the judge did not rule against the concept of temporarily closing the center but that the board's vote was "inappropriate and that any subsequent vote must take more information into account.""The Court did not rule that the Center must stay open during the renovations, and did not require that the Center present any particular programming on-site during the renovations," the memo to the Kennedy Center's staff says. "The Center is considering its options and will provide further guidance shortly."The closure was approved in a March vote by the Kennedy Center's board of trustees. In his 94-page opinion, Cooper questioned the credibility of the conclusion from Matt Floca, the center's executive director, that renovations couldn't be carried out without shutting down the center for the pubic.The judge also said the center's board "lacked any meaningful say" in the matter when it voted for the closure March 16. Trump already announced the closure plans on Truth Social on Feb. 1.Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.