Judge blocks closure of Kennedy Center, orders removal of Trump's name

Washington — A federal judge blocked the Kennedy Center from temporarily closing its doors during proposed renovations, and ruled that the institution's board acted unlawfully when it added President Trump's name to the building and official title.

Mr. Trump reacted by appearing to cede control of the Kennedy Center, saying on Truth Social he now wants Congress to take responsibility for its operation "unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else."

In a 94-page opinion on Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in favor of Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a member of the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, who filed a lawsuit challenging the institution's name change and plans to close for two years for extensive repairs beginning this summer.

The judge found that the board overstepped its authority by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after Mr. Trump and ordered his name to be removed from "the institution's title, as represented on the façade of the Center, any other physical or digital signage, and official materials."

"The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," wrote Cooper, who was named to the bench by former President Barack Obama.

Referring to the impending closure, the judge said that "in ratifying President Trump's closure announcement, the Board was derelict in discharging the full range of its responsibilities to the Center."

"More specifically, the Board based its decision on an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information and neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions," Cooper wrote.

He called the decision to cease operations during the renovation "ill-informed and seemingly preordained."

The judge also ruled that the board had "overstepped" its power by stripping Beatty, an ex officio member through her role in Congress, of her right to vote at a March meeting where the board approved the plan to close the center after this summer's July 4 celebrations.

Earlier this year, Cooper ruled that Beatty was entitled to participate in the meeting, but did not require that the board allow her to vote.

In his Friday ruling, however, Cooper said that planned repair work can continue, saying the evidence put forward in the case indicates it is "sorely needed." He also said his preliminary injunction does not "categorically" bar the board from closing the Kennedy Center "should it come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion."

"By way of this opinion, the Court does not purport to dictate how the Center should be run, nor does it prescribe any particular plan for the institution — construction, closure, or otherwise — moving forward," he wrote. "It simply holds the Kennedy Center Board to certain minimum requirements imposed by law. Beyond that, the Court will let the parties play on."

In a separate decision on Friday, Cooper denied a similar legal challenge brought by the D.C. Preservation League.

Mr. Trump skewered the judge in a social media post later Friday, saying he "should be ashamed of himself." The president also seemed to suggest he is no longer interested in taking the lead on overhauling the Kennedy Center, writing that he will be "working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it."

"Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND,'" the president said.

He directed the Commerce Department to "make all necessary arrangements with Congress to allow a full and complete transfer of this Institution, giving them the responsibility for its Operation, Maintenance, and Management."

Beatty cheered the judge's decision.

"Today's ruling rightly affirms that this administration's efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law," she said in a statement. "The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity."

Roma Daravi, spokeswoman for the Kennedy Center, said the institution is "confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center."

She reiterated that the Kennedy Center requires repair work.

"With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy," Daravi said.

A Justice Department spokesperson said: "The Department is pleased that the court rejected challenges to the Trump-Kennedy Center renovations, and we will continue to defend President Trump's ability to restore the Center to its former glory as the finest performing arts center in the country – if not the world."

Mr. Trump moved to put his mark on the Kennedy Center in the opening weeks of his second term. The president replaced several members of the center's Board of Trustees with senior members of his administration and close allies, who then elected Mr. Trump chair.

The board also moved to oust its longtime president and installed Ric Grenell, who served as U.S. ambassador to Germany in the first Trump administration, as its new leader. Grenell left his post helming the Kennedy Center earlier this year and was replaced by Matt Floca, the institution's former vice president of operations.

In December, the Kennedy Center's board voted to change the performing arts institution's name to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

The changes were instituted swiftly. Hours after the board's vote, the Kennedy Center's website was updated to read "The Trump Kennedy Center" and crews went to work adding Mr. Trump's name to the building's facade. But lawmakers and legal scholars said such a change required action by Congress.

The president's moves to reshape the Kennedy Center were met with backlash from the performing arts community. Several artists who were set to perform at the institution canceled performances and the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the Kennedy Center, left for a new job.