Music

Kennedy Center Lawsuit Against Jazz Musician Chuck Redd Dismissed

A judge has dismissed the Trump administration's $1 million breach of contract lawsuit against Chuck Redd, citing Washington, D.C.'s anti-SLAPP protections.

Rolling Stone·Jun 7, 2026·via Rolling Stone

Kennedy Center Lawsuit Against Jazz Musician Chuck Redd Dismissed

'Political Retribution'

Trump Administration Lawsuit Against Kennedy Center Christmas Jazz Musician Dismissed

Judge withdraws $1 million breach of contract lawsuit against Chuck Redd, citing Washington, D.C.'s anti-SLAPP protections

By Daniel Kreps

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June 7, 2026

The Trump administration’s lawsuit against a jazz musician who canceled his annual Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center amid changes at the performing arts center has been dismissed.

In December, Chuck Redd, the bandleader of the Christmas Eve Jazz Jam at the Kennedy Center since 2006, announced he was canceling the event following Donald Trump’s decision to rename the venue to include the president’s name, a move that has since been reversed by a district judge .

“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd said at the time.

After Redd nixed the concert, then-Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell threatened to sue Redd for $1 million over the cancelation, citing “classic intolerance” that was “very costly to a non-profit Arts institution.” A breach of contract lawsuit soon followed.

Redd’s lawyers filed for the lawsuit’s dismissal in March, and on Friday, a judge agreed, citing Washington, D.C.’s Anti-SLAPP laws that protect defendants against meritless lawsuits and “political retribution.”