A federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to give 30 days' notice before demolishing its main building or making any other major physical change, a step that blocks quick action by the Trump administration.
Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order on Thursday. He also denied a request from Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the board, for an emergency hearing. The judge said the notice requirement would "avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events."
The building is closed for repairs
The center's board, which is chaired by President Donald Trump and filled with his appointees, voted on Tuesday to move ahead with a $257 million renovation. The building closed to the public on Wednesday. Its executive director, a Trump appointee, said the closure was needed because of structural deterioration that posed what he described as untenable risks to safety. The administration released video showing parts of a ceiling falling.
The fight over the name
The dispute traces back to a May ruling in which Cooper found the center had illegally added Trump's name to the building and ordered it removed. The institution took the letters down in June, leaving a tarp and scaffolding where they had been. Trump has said he wants his name restored and has threatened to tear the building down if it is not. He has also said the renovation should cost more than $200 million, while the board's plan is priced at $257 million.
What the court has allowed
Cooper ruled earlier that nothing could happen "without Congress's blessing," and he blocked a July closure plan, saying the decision was taken in dereliction of the trustees' duty of prudence. He left the board free to try again with a considered, independent vote, and the board says that is what it did this week. Beatty argues the new vote violates the court's order.
The 30-day notice gives opponents time to seek further relief. Workers were photographed replacing parts of a temporary fence around the site, and lawmakers from both parties have questioned the sudden closure of a national arts institution that hosts hundreds of performances each year.