A federal judge has blocked the Kennedy Center from restoring President Donald Trump’s name to the Washington arts complex, ruling that the board cannot make the change without congressional approval. Hours later, the center’s board voted to close the facility, citing financial pressures and the need for major renovations, while Trump has said he would not support the renovation effort unless the legal dispute over his name is resolved.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper’s ruling is the latest development in a dispute over the Kennedy Center, which was established by Congress as a national memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The center’s board had voted in August to place Trump’s name on the building’s facade, but Cooper previously ruled that the name could not be changed in that manner. Workers removed Trump’s name in June after an earlier court order, leaving portions of the facade covered by scaffolding and a tarp.
The latest ruling came as the Kennedy Center faced broader financial and structural concerns. The board voted Tuesday to close the facility for as long as two years while pursuing a renovation estimated at $257 million, according to Reuters. Center officials have said the institution faces severe financial pressure, while Trump has argued that his involvement and fundraising efforts are important to the renovation. The president has also cited safety problems at the aging complex, including a recent incident involving falling ceiling material.
The naming dispute has become intertwined with the center’s finances and its future management. Trump became chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board after returning to office and has sought to reshape the institution, while the Justice Department is expected to appeal the latest ruling. The court dispute centers in part on whether the board has legal authority to alter the name of a facility whose designation as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was established by federal law.
The closure would affect one of the United States’ major performing arts institutions, which hosts theater, opera, dance, music and other cultural programs in Washington. The center’s future now depends on the outcome of the legal challenge, the financing of the proposed renovation and decisions over how the institution will operate while the building undergoes repairs.
Sources: Information attributed to The Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hindu and other reporting cited above.