US judge raps Kennedy Center's board for adding Trump's name to building, blocks closure for renovation

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Friday (local time) ruled that US President Donald Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations.

District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center board's vote on 16 March to close the facility was "ill-informed and seemingly preordained" with no regard for its legal obligations.

Cooper wrote, "The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one." He also concluded that the Kennedy Center's board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally adding Trump's name to the center, adding that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and that the right to change it lies with Congress only.

Kennedy Center defends Trump naming

Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, Roma Daravi, said earlier today that the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”

She further said, "Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges," and added, “With $257 million 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.”

Lawsuits challenge Kennedy Center renovation project

Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. While one was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations, the other was filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.

The plaintiffs are worried that Trump and his board allies will violate preservation rules designed to maintain the center's historic fabric. In previous statements during court hearings, attorneys for Beatty and the preservation groups raised concerns regarding the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump's statements that he would “fully expose” the building’s steel skeleton. The Ohio Democrat said that she was "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 the renovations are allowed unsupervised, referring to major changes that Trump has made at the White House since he returned in January last year.

Trump sued over Kennedy Center renaming

In December last year, Beatty sued Trump for adding his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts allegedly without any approval from Congress. She accused the US President of flouting the law to satisfy his “vanity.” The new sign now says “The Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Justice Dept backs renovation plans for Kennedy Center

Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys said that renovation plans for the Kennedy Center are limited in scope but well within the board's authority to implement without needing outside approvals.

Trump, a Republican, has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center’s operations since he returned to the White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was added to the façade of a building that is considered a living monument to President John F. Kennedy.

List of things Trump named after himself

Surprisingly, the Kennedy Center is not the only building that has seen rebranding to include the US President's name. Here's a list of the assets that have been renamed after Trump:

1. The US Institute of Peace has now been renamed the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace.

2. Trump-class battleships

3. Trump Gold Card visa

4. A gold coin bearing Trump in honour of the country's 250th anniversary.

5. Trump dollar bills

6. TrumpRx.gov, a self-pay prescription drug website that offers coupons that people can take to the pharmacy where they fill their prescriptions.

7. Trump accounts

8. TrumpIRA.gov

9. Trump's image on the Interior Department's annual park pass

10. Trump's image featured on some American passports

11. Palm Beach Airport to be renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the administration is also pushing to bring Trump's portrait to the $250 bill in view of the country's 250th anniversary. If approved, he will become the first living US President to be featured on the nation's currency.

(With AP inputs)