Key facts
- A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to explain the Kennedy Center's closure plan.
- President Trump suggested the shutdown could be permanent if his renaming efforts are not successful.
- The Kennedy Center's board voted to close the venue for renovations.
- U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper previously ruled that only Congress can change the Kennedy Center's name.
- Representative Joyce Beatty argues the board's vote to proceed violates a prior court order.
A U.S. federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to explain whether the Kennedy Center's plan to close the performing arts venue for repairs violates a prior court order. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper directed the administration to respond by Thursday to claims in a lawsuit filed by Democratic U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty.
Beatty argued in a court filing that the board's vote on Tuesday to proceed with the $257 million renovation project contravenes the court's prior ruling. The court filing cited comments President Donald Trump made, stating, “The closing will take place immediately, however, the Renovation and Reconstruction, which is a very large and complex job, cannot begin until such time as the D.C. Circuit rules on the Board’s approved name. If the ruling is a negative one, which it should not be, and is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Reconstruction and the Renovation of the Kennedy Center will not take place.” Lawyers also cited a photo circulating on social media that depicted the president looking at a poster they said appeared to be titled “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED." The photo has not been independently verified by Reuters.
Beatty's lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, said in a statement, “In this country, no one — including the president — is above the law.” The White House, the Kennedy Center, and the Justice Department, which is defending the center in court, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The closure vote is the latest development in Beatty's lawsuit, filed last year over Trump's effort to rename the center after himself. Cooper's ruling in May directed the Kennedy Center to remove Trump's name from the building's facade, stating only Congress can change the name. The ruling also blocked the center's earlier plan to shut down in July for renovation, which Cooper described as "taken in dereliction of the trustees’ duty of prudence." He stated he would not block the board from trying again to close the center as long as it made a "considered, independent decision."
In a new ruling on Tuesday, Cooper rejected the center’s latest effort to put Trump’s name on the building to reflect his role in the planned renovation. The administration has appealed this decision, and Trump stated on social media that the Kennedy Center "is destined to doom" if it is not permitted to close for repairs.