Judge Questions Kennedy Center
Federal Judge Demands Kennedy Center Explanations for Tarps and Reconsideration of Closures
Key Points
The Kennedy Center board is set to weigh three mid-July closure options: a full closure with no programming, a partial closure with limited programming, or phased closures with more on-site programming.
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member, filed suit arguing that Congress—not the board—designated the center as a JFK memorial and that any name change requires an act of Congress; she has described the tarp coverage as a 'petty act of defiance'.
The judge previously ordered Trump's name removed by June 12; after that deadline, workers erected scaffolding and tarps to conceal the removal, and the court is now demanding a formal explanation of the tarp’s purpose and current status.
Background context: Trump appointed himself to the Kennedy Center board and allied appointees helped push a rename and branding update—including references to 'The Trump Kennedy Center'—that the court is scrutinizing.
Public reaction to the lag in progress has included pilgrims traveling to view the facade change, only to encounter tarp-covered scaffolding still blocking the sign days after removal.
A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to explain why tarps and scaffolding still cover the building's front facade — more than 10 days after workers removed Donald Trump's name from the marble exterior. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper set a July 31 deadline for a joint status report detailing the "purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding," according to Forbes.
The scaffolding went up around 3:00 AM on June 13, just before workers pried 18 letters spelling "The Donald J. Trump and" from the portico. Judge Cooper had ordered the removal by June 12 after ruling in May that only Congress — not a presidentially appointed board — can rename a congressional memorial, NPR reported.
Court Called the Tarp a 'Petty Act of Defiance'
Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) filed a motion on June 22 calling the continued tarp coverage "petulant defiance." Beatty, an ex officio Kennedy Center board member and the lead plaintiff in the case, accused the board of hiding the restored "John F. Kennedy" name from the public. She called it a bid to "massage broken egos" after the administration's legal loss, according to Forbes.
The Kennedy Center's VP of Public Relations offered a different explanation. Roma Daravi said the scaffolding protects the building's "marble and soffit panels" during exterior maintenance. Judge Cooper has expressed skepticism about that claim, Washington Examiner reported, and is now demanding a formal, written accounting of why the tarp is still there.
Congress Named the Building — and Only Congress Can Rename It
The Kennedy Center was created by the National Cultural Center Act in 1958 and designated a "living memorial" to President John F. Kennedy in 1964. In his 94-page May ruling, Judge Cooper wrote that "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it," according to NPR.
The Trump-aligned board argued that "Trump Kennedy Center" was simply a branding update — similar to calling the Federal National Mortgage Association "Fannie Mae." The judge dismissed that argument as "too cute by half." The Department of Justice filed an emergency appeal to block the name removal on June 12. The D.C. Circuit Court rejected it the same day, MS Now reported.
Board Must Now Choose Among Three Closure Plans
Beyond the tarp, Judge Cooper also pressed the board to rethink its plans to shut down the center for renovations. The board originally sought a two-year full closure — a plan the judge blocked in May. Now the board must weigh three options at a mid-July meeting: a full closure with no programming, a partial closure with limited access, or a phased approach that keeps performances running while repairs continue, according to Forbes.
Kennedy Center President Matt Floca has called a full closure the "most efficient" way to fix water damage in a section of the building staff nicknamed "the swamp." Critics argue the damage is exaggerated to justify a shutdown. The center receives $257 million in federal funding, and a full closure would cost hundreds of local jobs in Washington's arts economy.
Visitors Showed Up to See the Sign — and Found a Shroud Instead
When word spread that Trump's name had been removed, people traveled to the Kennedy Center plaza to see it. What they found was heavy gray tarp stretched across the front of the building. Musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra institute reported frustration at being unable to see the restored memorial name, MS Now reported.
Rep. Beatty was direct about what she saw. "Whether it's covered up or not, we'll see that the name has been restored," she told reporters outside the building, according to NPR. The July 31 court deadline — and a board meeting in mid-July to decide closure plans — will determine whether the Kennedy Center returns to public life or stays in legal limbo.
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