Washington — A federal judge has once again prevented the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from adding President Trump’s name to the building. This ruling, made on Tuesday, highlights that the proposed resolution contradicts both a federal court order and a law passed by Congress.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in favor of Rep. Joyce Beatty, a board member who filed a lawsuit last year concerning changes related to Mr. Trump at the Kennedy Center. Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, contended that the board’s recent actions aimed at honoring the president were in violation of federal law. Her legal team requested immediate relief from the court to halt these changes.
In a detailed 22-page opinion, Judge Cooper stated, “Defendants are hereby enjoined from inscribing ‘renovated and restored by Donald J. Trump’ on the main building or renaming the campus the ‘President Donald J. Trump Plaza.’ Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing. The board’s resolution contradicts a federal court order and a statute enacted by Congress.”
The board, which includes Mr. Trump and is composed of his Cabinet members and supporters, passed a resolution in August proposing to inscribe “Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump” beneath the center’s name on the building. Additionally, it suggested that if a fundraising goal of $100 million is achieved, the inscription “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” could be added, and the grounds would be renamed “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Judge Cooper did not make a decision regarding the potential inscription of “endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund,” as he found that Beatty did not sufficiently demonstrate that this phrase would be imminently placed on the building.
During discussions about the urgent motion last month, attorney Nathaniel Zelinsky, representing Beatty, described the board’s decision to propose Mr. Trump’s name again as “deja vu” and an act of “outright defiance” against Cooper’s earlier ruling, which prohibited the center’s closure and mandated the removal of Mr. Trump’s name. The Trump administration has since appealed this prior decision.
Last month, the Justice Department stated in court that “there is no renaming here,” asserting that the proposed inscriptions were intended to honor Mr. Trump due to his ongoing and future fundraising endeavors, which aim to supplement a $257 million congressional allocation for a significant renovation project advocated by the White House.
