A federal judge ruled on Friday that the board of the Kennedy Center cannot rename the arts center for Donald Trump, while he blocked plans to close the complex for two years for renovations.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper wrote on Friday that only Congress could change the name of the center.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” the judge wrote.
The board added Trump’s name to the center in December, leading to an exodus of artists.
In March, the board approved Trump’s plan to close the center, starting in July, for extensive renovations.
But Cooper ruled that the board hastily decided to close the center in a March meeting, ruling that it “based its decision on an insufficient, one-sided presentation of information and neglected to consider the full range of its statutory obligations and potential adverse consequences of closure on programming and memorial functions.”
The judge ruled that the renovations could go forward, and the board could decide to close the center if they “come to this decision anew after independently balancing its multiple obligations to the Center in a prudent fashion.”
More to come.
English (US) ·