Judge questions why Kennedy Center is moving so quickly to return Trump's name to building

Judge Christopher Cooper has expressed skepticism about the Kennedy Center's plan to quickly add President Donald Trump's name to the building

WASHINGTON -- A judge on Thursday expressed skepticism about the Kennedy Center’s intention to return President Donald Trump’s name to the historic performing arts venue by early next month, challenging the board’s insistence on moving forward even in the face of a court ruling that blocked and reversed a previous effort.

Just seconds after the Trump administration's lawyer, Brantley Mayers, began making his case at a nearly two-hour hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper interrupted to ask why the center needed to begin inscribing the president's name on the institution's facade as soon as Sept. 8 .

“What’s magic about that date?” Cooper asked, quipping that sometimes judges travel over the Labor Day holiday.

Mayers responded that the timeline was in accordance with a vote earlier this month by the Trump-aligned board. As he returned to his arguments that renovations at the Kennedy Center require energy and talent, Cooper interjected again.

“That’s all fine and good,” the judge said. “What does that have to do with what Congress intended in these statutes? That’s really what’s before me.”

By late Thursday, the administration informed the court that it wouldn't proceed with changes at the Kennedy Center before Oct. 8 to allow Cooper more time to consider the case.

Trump has spent much of his second term reshaping Washington to his liking, demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom, planning a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a renovated golf course along the Potomac River. The Kennedy Center is a rare stumbling block in that effort after Cooper ruled in May that Trump's name was added to the building illegally, ordering it to be removed.

Trump and his allies, however, have refused to let that be the final word.

The Trump-aligned board at the Kennedy Center voted earlier this month to inscribe his name on the venue’s facade so it would read “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” If the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reached $100 million, another inscription would be added reading: “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.”

The plaza in front of the Kennedy Center would also be renamed in Trump's honor.

Mayers argued that the moves amount to a recognition of Trump, not the renaming of the institution that was sought earlier. The institution no longer calls itself the Trump-Kennedy Center or focuses on such branding, and there's no effort to return to that argument.

The government's lawyer also encouraged Cooper not to rule on the inscription related to the endowment because no money has been raised, essentially leaving it a theoretical possibility for now.

Despite Cooper's skepticism about the developments, he also questioned whether he had the authority to block the moves, as the administration appeals his earlier ruling. He pressed a lawyer for Rep. Joyce Beatty on whether that appeal undermined his jurisdiction in the case.