New evidence submitted in Kennedy Center case
Lawmakers seek hearing over closure plans
By: Katharine Jackson
and Mike Scarcella
Reuters
WASHINGTON - Layers working to keep the Kennedy Center open and Donald Trump's name off its facade submitted new evidence on September 17, [2026] citing the president's comments and a photo referring to the performing arts center's demolition.
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In a court filing, lawyers for the plaintiffs, U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat, footnoted the court of comments the president made on the evening of September 16. [2026]
..... "I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition,"Trump told reporters in North Carolina. "because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down."
..... The lawyers also cited a photo circulating on social media that depicted the president on board Air Force One looking at a poster they said appeared to be titled "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED." The photo has not been independently verified by Reuters.
..... Beatty has sake Washington-based U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to hole an emergency hearing on the lawsuit after the Kennedy Center's board, including Trump and his handpicked appointees, voted in recent days to close the center for up to two years for a $257 million renovation project.
..... She said the Kennedy Center, which was established by Congress and opened in 1971 in Washington as a memorial to former President John F. Kennedy, is no longer accessible to the public. New barriers were visible outside the building on September 16. [2026]
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Cooper ordered the board to explain by September 17 [2026] whether he issued limiting its ability to shut its doors.
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The board said on the morning of September 17 [2026] that it was not in violation of the order, and that a Kennedy Center official had closed the center the day before for seven days of emergency repairs. The Trump administration said it would ask the judge by September 18 [2026] to dissolve the prior order to allow for what the government called "closure necessary to complete the restoration and renovations."
..... Cooper's order i May [2026] also directed the Kennedy Center to remove Trump's name from the building, saying only Congress can change the name.