Kennedy Center Appeals May Ruling as Tarps Still Hide Trump Name Removal

3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jun 22

Federal appeals court filings show the Kennedy Center is challenging a late-May order that forced it to remove Trump’s name and barred a planned two-year renovation shutdown.
Beatty’s lawyers say the center is defying that order by keeping large tarps over the facade and leaving little programming after July 5, turning the venue into a “lifeless husk.”
The center says it has removed Trump’s name and will keep an “operational model” with public access to its spaces and the Kennedy memorial, while arguing it need not restore canceled events or add new ones.
Tarps erected on June 13 during the name removal remain in place; a spokesperson told the Washington Post they are needed for marble repairs, without saying when they will come down.
The dispute stems from Trump’s second-term takeover of the center and a judge’s finding that renaming it required congressional approval, prompting Democratic criticism that the tarps amount to a coverup.