A federal judge has ruled that the Kennedy Center board violated the law when it added President Donald Trump’s name to the performing arts venue and blocked the institution from temporarily closing its doors this summer to renovate.
The law establishing the centre “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,” U.S. District Judge Casey Cooper wrote in his opinion, adding, “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”
In Cooper’s opinion, he ruled that officials are required to remove any of the signage at the Kennedy Center that bears Trump’s name within two weeks. Additionally, the website must be updated to remove references to the “Trump Kennedy Center” name and also any references to “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi indicated there would be an appeal. “We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognise President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural centre,” she said.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
Judge Cooper permanently blocked the centre from “displaying, installing, or maintaining any physical or digital signage on the Kennedy Center building or grounds that designates, suggests, or implies that the institution is named for any person other than President John F. Kennedy.”
While the judge blocked the centre from temporarily closing its doors for renovations, he did say plans to renovate could move forward after the Board considers its “full range of statutory obligations.”
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“There is no evidence that the Board took account of its full range of statutory obligations in determining that a wholesale shuttering of the Kennedy Center was appropriate,” he wrote in his ruling. “In short, there is no evidence before the Court that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees considered how it would accomplish its full legislative mandate during the closure period.”
Regarding that part of the ruling, Daravi said they would “review the decision carefully,” but insisted the Kennedy Center “requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges. 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.”
The ruling marks a significant hindrance to Trump’s efforts to fully remake the Kennedy Center in his image. While the name change was announced late last year, one of his first acts after returning to the White House was gutting the Kennedy Center board, filling it with cronies, and installing himself as chairman.
These changes have garnered significant criticism, particularly from artists who’ve pushed back by cancelling appearances at the Kennedy Center. These included Renee Fleming, Philip Glass, the Washington National Opera, Ben Folds, and Béla Fleck.
This is a developing story…
From Rolling Stone US
