A federal judge blocks the closing of the Kennedy Center, saying Trump’s name must be erased

A US federal judge ruled Friday that US President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and prevented the administration from closing the cultural and arts center for major renovations – the latest legal outcome of Trump’s efforts to leave his mark on the nation’s capital.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, DC, ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and appears to be premeditated” without regard to its legal obligations. The administration had announced that work would begin in July and last about two years, but Cooper’s decision puts those plans on hold for now.

“The trustees could have evaluated the merits of the foreclosure in many ways. This was not one,” he wrote.

Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its legal bounds” by independently adding Trump’s name to the agency. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

The judge, who was appointed to the bench by then-US president Barack Obama, ordered the defendants to remove Trump’s name from the face of the facility and any “legal materials,” such as digital or physical signs, within two weeks.

“Can the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed without congressional authorization? The answer, plain on the face of the law, is no. And no one else can be commemorated on the balcony of the building,” Cooper wrote.

The White House did not immediately comment.

The board will review the decision ‘carefully’

Trump has made it a priority in his second term to leave his stamp on some of Washington’s historic landmarks. He demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. His name or image has been added to government buildings, including the headquarters of the US Institute of Peace and Justice Department. He is aiming for victory towards the Potomac River.

Opponents have challenged some of Trump’s construction projects in court — and won favorable rulings. But district court judges likely won’t have the final say as the administration pursues appeals.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president for public affairs, said Friday that the center “is confident that on appeal the court will uphold the board’s will to honor President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” He said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”

“Although the truth remains – the institution needs urgent and important restoration – the truth agrees with the plaintiff,” said Daravi.

“For $257 million [US] protected by President Trump and authorized by Congress, resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing all legal avenues to ensure that the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy. “

Cooper held hearings in late April on similar lawsuits challenging the project. One was installed by a group of cultural and historical preservation organizations. Another was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as a Kennedy Center board member. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but declined another challenge.

Beatty called the decision a win for the Kennedy Center and the performing arts. “Now hopefully people can get back to work, we can continue to be the Kennedy Center that we were meant to be,” he told the Associated Press.

Justice Department attorneys said plans to renovate the building are limited and subject to the board’s authority, without the need for outside approvals.

Saving rules

Plaintiffs are concerned that the president and his board partners will violate preservation laws designed to preserve the building’s history. In an earlier statement to the court hearing, Beatty’s lawyers and conservation groups expressed doubts about the estimated cost of the project, pointing to Trump’s statement that he would “fully expose” the steel frame of the building.

Beatty said he was “very afraid that we would see what happened to the East Wing and what happened to the Rose Garden” if the center was closed and renovations were allowed to continue without supervision, referring to the major changes the president has made to the White House.

Mike Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, spent several weeks during the spring traveling with a group of lawmakers and their staff, as well as reporters and Washington city officials, in the massive 1.5 million square foot building.

The tour was intended to show that the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1965, was in dire need of renovations. The walkways showed extensive water damage, visible in some areas by discoloration and pooling. Some pieces of equipment, including several air conditioners that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement.

Floca told reporters in April that he had considered individual repairs but insisted that it was his recommendation to Trump to close the facility and move forward with repairs all at once.

Trump has taken a keen interest in the operation of the Kennedy Center since returning to the White House last year. He installed a hand-picked plaque naming the chairman, and his name was placed in front of a building that is considered a living memorial to former president John F. Kennedy.

The Kennedy Center continued to perform before the closure, albeit at a much slower pace than in previous years. Trump attended the premiere of the musical Chicago in March, and other shows, incl Moulin Rouge, scheduled for June.

Bill Maher, the comedian who has had a close relationship with Trump, is expected to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, an event expected to be one of the last big moments at the Kennedy Center before it closes.