A federal judge has ruled that the Kennedy Center board cannot restore Donald Trump’s name to the Washington arts complex or rename its grounds the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza”.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper said the board’s decision conflicted with both an earlier court order and legislation establishing the building as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy.
“Simply put,” Judge Cooper wrote in a 22-page decision, “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 ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Joyce Beatty, a Democratic congresswoman from Ohio and an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board. She sued in December to prevent the institution from being renamed the “Trump Kennedy Center”.
Most of the board members are allies of Mr Trump who were appointed by the president. Mr Trump also serves as the arts institution’s chair.
Judge Cooper issued his decision shortly before the board was due to consider whether to close the centre immediately for major renovation work. The lawsuit does not challenge those plans.
Kennedy Center administrators have warned board members that the main building’s physical plant is unsafe and that the institution’s finances are “within weeks” of bankruptcy.
The judge did not settle whether the board could name a planned 100 million dollar fundraising campaign the “Trump Kennedy Center Fund”, or eventually display a plaque or other signage referring to it. He noted that the fund had not yet raised any money.
The board has argued in public and in court that Mr Trump is the only person capable of raising funds on the required scale and overseeing such a substantial renovation, and that this justified crediting him on the building.
Attendance and ticket sales have fallen over the past year, while several major artists have cancelled appearances amid concerns that the Kennedy Center has become politicised under Mr Trump.
In a statement, Ms Beatty said: “The law is extremely clear: The John F. Kennedy Center is named for President Kennedy – and no one else. But President Trump is holding the Kennedy Center hostage unless he can put his name on this sacred memorial. The Court just rejected this proposal for the second time. This unlawfulness is as breathtaking as it is wrong, and it needs to stop.”
