Opponents tell court board members ‘seem intent’ on defying removal order
Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper for an earlier ruling in the Kennedy Center facade case, according to a status report filed late Tuesday.
The Kennedy Center told the court in the same filing it would not attempt to return President Donald Trump’s name to the performing arts venue’s facade before Sept. 8. The venue said it would not move forward with plans to re-add the name until after Labor Day “at the earliest” to allow time for legal arguments.
Opponents of the name’s restoration said in the status report that members of the Kennedy Center’s Trump-aligned board “seem intent” on defying an earlier court order that required Trump’s name to be removed from the building. The opponents’ characterization of the board members’ intent appeared in the filing as part of their request for a faster judicial response.
Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the board, asked Judge Cooper for an earlier ruling through her legal team. In the filing, Beatty’s lawyers argued there is “every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after September 8.”
The disclosure came as part of a separate legal fight unfolding alongside the broader battle over the venue’s future. The filing indicates the venue itself is seeking additional time in court before any further changes to the facade take place.
The dispute now turns on Judge Cooper’s response to Beatty’s request for an earlier ruling.