Judge blocks Trump name on Kennedy Center; board votes to close

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper on Tuesday blocked the Kennedy Center board from restoring President Donald Trump's name to the center's facade or grounds, granting an emergency injunction sought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member. The ruling marks the second time Cooper has ordered Trump's name removed since May.

Hours after the decision, the board voted to close the center for renovations. The board's Aug. 13 resolution had proposed three inscriptions honoring Trump's "existential and unprecedented contributions," including a plaque reading "renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump" and renaming the campus "President Donald J. Trump Plaza."

“Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing”

Cooper wrote that the board's resolution "bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted," adding that defendants cannot install memorials for Trump or anyone else without congressional approval. Beatty called the board's effort "unlawful" and said Trump was holding the center "hostage" unless his name was added.

In May, Cooper ordered the removal of Trump's name from the center's official name and facade, finding the board's December action violated the law. The Department of Justice, which defended the board, did not immediately say whether it would appeal Tuesday's ruling.