Federal judge Christopher Cooper delivered a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration Friday. A federal judge just stopped them cold. He ruled that President Donald Trump's name was illegally affixed to the revered Kennedy Center and, even more dramatically, blocked the administration's contentious plan to shutter the cultural landmark for extensive renovations.
U.S. District Judge Cooper, presiding in Washington, D.C., didn't mince words. He characterized the Kennedy Center board's March 16 vote to close the facility as "ill-informed and seemingly preordained." No regard for legal obligations, he implied.
"The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one," Cooper wrote, a clear indictment of the board's decision-making process.
But the judge went further. He also concluded the board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally adding Trump's name. Congress named the Kennedy Center. Only Congress, Cooper asserted, holds the power to change that. A stark reminder of institutional checks and balances.
Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center's vice-president of public relations, quickly responded. The institution, she stated Friday, feels "confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural centre." The decision, she promised, would be reviewed "carefully."
"Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration — a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges," Daravi conceded. A point worth noting.
She added, "With $257 million [US] 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 "Trump Kennedy Center" — a name still contested in court, it seems.
Cooper's decision stems from late April hearings for two parallel lawsuits. One brought by cultural and historic preservation groups. The other, by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and ex officio Kennedy Center board member. The judge sided with Beatty's request, dismissing the preservationists' challenge. A nuanced outcome.
Justice Department attorneys, representing the administration, had argued the renovation plans were limited in scope. Well within the board's authority, they claimed, requiring no external approvals.
Yet, plaintiffs voiced deep concern. They feared the president and his board allies might disregard preservation rules, risking the building's historic character. Attorneys for Beatty and the groups had raised serious doubts about the project's 'limited' scope in earlier hearings. They pointed to Trump's own alarming statements: a desire to "fully expose" the building's steel skeleton.
"I am very fearful that we'll see what happened with the East Wing and what happened with the Rose Garden" if the center is closed and renovations proceed unchecked, she warned, referencing President Trump's previous, controversial changes to the White House.
Trump, the Republican, has shown a notable — some might say obsessive — interest in the Kennedy Center since his return to the White House last year. He promptly installed a handpicked board. That board, in turn, named him chairman. His name then appeared on the façade of a building considered a living monument to President John F. Kennedy. A striking juxtaposition.
Performances continued at the Center, albeit at a reduced pace, leading up to the anticipated closure. Trump himself attended the premiere of Chicago in March. Other shows, including Moulin Rouge, remain on the schedule for June.
Comedian Bill Maher, known for his volatile relationship with Trump, is still slated to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28. This event had been widely anticipated as one of the final major gatherings at the Kennedy Center before its now-blocked closure.
Judge Cooper, it's worth remembering, was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama. A detail that, for some, might explain everything. For others, nothing at all.
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