The Justice Department has informed a federal judge that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will delay implementing its board's resolution to honor former President Donald Trump by more than a month. In a filing late Thursday, the department stated that the effort to add Trump's name to the center's facade and plaza will "not be effectuated before October 8, 2026."
This filing followed a two-hour hearing where U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper urged the center to postpone its plans. The hearing included the lead attorney for Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, who sits as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees. The attorney, Nathaniel Zelinsky, repeatedly accused the Kennedy Center board of defying the court after Cooper had ordered Trump's name removed from the building earlier this year.
Zelinsky argued that the board's recent vote to honor Trump constitutes a renaming effort, which he believes is in direct opposition to the court's previous decision. "Are they attempting a renaming? Absolutely, yes. They are doing the same thing they were told they couldn't do before," Zelinsky stated.
Judge Cooper, however, did not indicate whether he agreed with this assessment during the hearing. He focused on probing the legality of the board's move to add Trump's name back to the institution, particularly concerning a 1983 law that blocks "additional memorials" in the center's "public areas." Cooper questioned whether the plaza outside the building could be considered a "public area" under the statute.
Lawyers for the Justice Department maintained that the board's intent was to rename "the complex" after Trump. However, they also insisted that the Kennedy Center would continue to exist as a memorial to John F. Kennedy and that "there is no renaming here." The department's attorney, Brantley Mayers, stated there was "no evidence" that the move to add Trump's name back onto the building was imminent. Mayers also suggested that recognizing the president would help address financial and structural issues facing the center.
Cooper appeared dismissive of a recent Justice Department filing that suggested the performing arts center could face demolition if he issued an order blocking Trump's plans. "That may be great atmospherics," Cooper told Mayers, "But I gotta say, the first four of five pages of your brief seem to be a non-sequitur. We're here to discuss whether the board's resolution was consistent with my order and consistent with the statutes."
Seeking more time to consider the issues, Cooper asked the Justice Department to delay any plans related to honoring Trump. He also suggested he might impose an order to maintain the status quo if the center's management did not cooperate. Zelinsky had urged the judge to act more urgently, citing the board's "overnight" decision to add Trump's name following a similar vote earlier in the year. He warned of potential "irreparable injury," referencing damage to the building's marble from previous efforts to affix Trump's name.