A weekly protest outside the Kennedy Center became a celebration after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from closing the cultural institution for two years or formally changing its name.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said in a court filing Friday that President Donald Trump’s name must be removed from the building and its website within 14 days.
Trump said he will return the Kennedy Center to the control of Congress. He described the memorial to slain President John F. Kennedy as a “dying performing arts center” before he took over.
Holding signs that said “Hands off the Arts” and “We are the Kennedy Center,” members of the crowd cheered the judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio.
“I am taking this as great news. I’m very excited, very happy, and I know we still have a long road ahead of us,” said Mallory Miller of the group Hands Off the Arts. “A lot of damage has been done, and a lot of repair needs to take place.”
Jodi Beder performed a solemn cello during what was first planned as a vigil to honor Kennedy on what would have been his 109th birthday. But the judge’s ruling changed the gathering’s tone.
Drag performer Tara Hoot, who had performed at the Kennedy Center, was an early critic of Trump’s takeover.
“Now the tough work begins to rebuild – rebuild trust with artists, with communities to bring the Kennedy Center back to life,” Hoot said.
Beatty is an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board due to her position in Congress. She claimed the Trump administration’s takeover was unlawful because ex-officio board members were denied a vote.
Cooper said in his order: “Congress named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for President John F. Kennedy by federal statute […] and the Center may not be officially named for anyone else except by an act of Congress.”
“Defendants …are PERMANENTLY ENJOINED from displaying, installing, or maintaining any physical or digital signage […] that designates, suggests, or implies that the institution is named for any person other than President John F. Kennedy,” the judge said.
Cooper also granted a preliminary injunction to halt the center’s impending two-year closure for repairs. He referenced previous plans for repair that did not call for a complete closure.
After a Kennedy Center spokesperson released a statement mentioning an appeal, many were surprised by a social media post from Trump. He slammed Cooper’s ruling but went on to say: “we are going to be working with Congress to transfer this failing institution back to them so they can make a determination as to what to do with it.”
Trump added: “I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into NEVER NEVER LAND.”
The judge’s ruling throws the performing arts center’s near future into uncertainty.
Sign up for our free deep-dive newsletter, The 4Front, to get standout News4 stories sent right to your inbox. Subscribe here.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/2GouHDQ
0 Comments