Kennedy Middle renaming could possibly be challenged over congressional authority

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"What’s in a reputation? That which we name a rose, by some other title would odor as candy." That query, posed by Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet," appears to now occupy a lot of Washington. At a Christmas celebration with many media from Washington, the query was put to me extra succinctly and repeatedly as "can they do this?" The "that" was the renaming of the Kennedy Center because the Trump-Kennedy Middle. Quickly, courts might must face this quintessentially Shakespearean query, "for by no means was a narrative of extra woe."

Round Christmas, Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, introduced her lawsuit over the title change.

As a threshold matter, I'll deal with the authorized quite than coverage foundation for the change. Many people chafed on the renaming of the middle, which was a memorial to an assassinated president. Nevertheless, what folks need to know is whether or not the change could be challenged. The reply is sure, however it won't essentially be simple or sure in its end result.

The middle was initially constructed because the Nationwide Cultural Middle in a 1958 regulation. It was renamed the John F. Kennedy Middle by an act of Congress in 1964 as a residing memorial.

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<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/672/378/trump-washington-dc-kennedy-center-construction-003.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/1344/756/trump-washington-dc-kennedy-center-construction-003.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/931/523/trump-washington-dc-kennedy-center-construction-003.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/12/1862/1046/trump-washington-dc-kennedy-center-construction-003.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Staff set up Donald J. Trump above the present signage on the Kennedy Middle on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photograph)

The important thing challenge is how that designation was made. It was contained in a statute handed by Congress. Titled John F. Kennedy Middle for the Performing Arts, 20 U.S.C. 3, states that "no extra memorials or plaques within the nature of memorials shall be designated or put in within the public areas of the John F. Kennedy Middle for the Performing Arts."

There are exceptions in sections 2 and three of the supply:

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"(2) Paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not apply to—

(A) any plaque acknowledging a present from a international nation;

(B) any plaque on a theater chair or a theater field acknowledging the reward of such chair or field; and

(C) any inscription on the marble partitions within the north or south galleries, the Corridor of States, or the Corridor of Nations acknowledging a significant contribution; ...

(3) For functions of this subsection, testimonials and profit performances shall not be construed to be memorials."

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The language helps a congressional intent to insulate the memorial from any adjustments or dilutions. The specificity of the exceptions to plaques for donors means that different main adjustments, akin to a reputation change, are barred underneath federal regulation. Furthermore, the middle is known as by an act of Congress. It's onerous to search out any authority of the board that will undo or delegate that energy.

President Donald Trump (L) presents actor Sylvester Stallone (R) a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Middle Honorees throughout a medal presentation within the Oval Workplace of the White Home on December 6, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Pictures)

There's a authentic query whether or not a reputation change is an "extra memorial or plaque," however it could appear to be so. If a easy plaque to donors needed to be expressly exempted, big letters dedicating the middle to an extra particular person would appear to fall throughout the congressional intent.

Nonetheless, the Trump administration might quote the servant Sampson from "Romeo and Juliet" and inform a courtroom to "take it in what sense thou wilt," however the statute doesn't expressly say that title adjustments are a memorial.

Challengers might argue that, underneath the board's interpretation, any memorial established by Congress, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Kennedy Presidential Library, could possibly be renamed or hyphenated.

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If a courtroom agrees that the statute displays a transparent congressional intent to bar any change to the memorial, the query is how it may be challenged.

In any authorized problem, the benefit would possible relaxation with the challengers if they'll meet the standing necessities.

Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and sister of Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , introduced that, "Three years and one month from right now, I’m going to seize a pickax and pull these letters off that constructing, however I’m going to want assist holding the ladder. Are you in? Making use of for my carpenter’s card right now, so it’ll be a union job!!!"

I might not advocate that strategy. Most attorneys try to maintain their purchasers from falling from nice heights.

The query is, who has standing to problem the change. Are Kennedy relations injured in a concrete technique to fulfill standing? Associational standing from historic preservation teams could be difficult. Nevertheless, some might quickly check these waters.

The obvious technique to deal with the difficulty is for Congress to be heard. It might both ratify the board choice, or it might expressly declare the change to be invalid and make clear that "extra memorial" encompasses any title change. Both decision might show troublesome with the closely divided Congress. Quickly a choose might be part of Romeo in his lament: "O, educate me how I ought to neglect to suppose!"

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In any authorized problem, the benefit would possible relaxation with the challengers if they'll meet the standing necessities. In any other case, the title might stay by default ... or till one other administration decides to make one other change to the middle beforehand generally known as the Kennedy Middle.

In fact, right now Juliet may resolve the naming drawback similarly with a hyphenated marital title of Juliet Capulet-Montague, although it clearly would have gone over as poorly because the Trump-Kennedy title. It clearly doesn't odor as candy to many.

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I count on each courtroom and congressional motion to observe. Absent a fast decision by Congress (which appears unlikely), this might lead to years of litigation.

Nevertheless, either side may be sensible to heed Shakespeare's warning in one other play that, "the place two raging fires meet collectively, they do devour the factor that feeds their fury."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY

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Kennedy Middle renaming could possibly be challenged over congressional authority

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