A federal judge halted three board-approved proposals to add Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center, including revised plaque language and a “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
Judge Christopher Cooper said the administration was trying to evade his earlier order removing Trump’s name from the building, ruling that Congress designated the memorial for John F. Kennedy alone.
The dispute has frozen a $257 million, two-year renovation that Trump says he secured from Congress; he is refusing to start work unless his name is restored in some form.
The center was abruptly closed last week after a board vote, but artists, donors and audiences had already pulled back — The Washington Post reported 43% of tickets unsold for a typical autumn show last October.
The fight leaves a major U.S. cultural institution shuttered and financially strained, with staff and programs cut as the legal and political stalemate drags on.