A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday preventing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees from adding President Donald Trump’s name to the structure, ruling that the proposed resolution conflicts with both existing federal court orders and congressional statutes.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper sided with Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and board member who filed a lawsuit last year challenging the president’s alterations to the institution. In a 22-page opinion, Cooper granted emergency relief sought by Beatty’s legal team, stating, “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.'”
Cooper emphasized that the board lacks the authority to erect memorials without legislative approval. “Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing. The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted,” the judge wrote.
The dispute stems from an August board resolution, approved by a body chaired by Trump and composed of his Cabinet members and allies. The resolution mandated that the phrase “Renovated and Restored by President Donald J. Trump” be inscribed beneath the center’s name on the building. It also called for adding “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” if a fundraising goal of $100 million is reached, alongside renaming the grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Judge Cooper declined to issue a ruling on the potential fundraising inscription, noting that Beatty failed to demonstrate that the phrase would be placed on the building imminently, if at all.
Nathaniel Zelinsky, attorney for Beatty, characterized the board’s recent vote as an act of “outright defiance” during arguments last month. He described the move as “deja vu,” referencing an earlier order from Cooper this year that prohibited the center’s closure and mandated the removal of Trump’s name from the facade. The Trump administration has appealed that prior decision.
Representing the Justice Department in court, officials argued that no official renaming was taking place. They contended that the proposed inscriptions were intended to honor the president in recognition of his ongoing and prospective fundraising initiatives, which aim to supplement a $257 million congressional appropriation designated for a major renovation project advocated by the White House.
https://prod.vodvideo.cbsnews.com/cbsnews/vr/hls/4778342_hls/master.m3u8
If the board can’t rename it without Congress, why did they think they could just add a plaque? Seems like they’re testing limits deliberately.
Wait, I thought the building was already renamed previously? I need to catch up on this ongoing saga between the board and the courts.
This is incredible legal defiance. A federal judge clearly shutting down an attempt to bypass Congress shows the system actually works sometimes.