Opinion

JONATHAN TURLEY: Kennedy Center ruling gets Trump's name right but repairs badly wrong

The court's analysis of board fiduciary duty is heavily laden with assumptions about lack of consideration

By Jonathan Turley Fox News

Published June 3, 2026 9:00am EDT

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In a ruling Friday, District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the cessation of all repair plans for the Kennedy Center and the removal of Trump’s name from the building within two weeks. It is a detailed and comprehensive opinion, but I believe Judge Cooper is wrong about halting the repairs.

I previously expressed skepticism over the claim that the board could order such a change unilaterally. At that time, I raised the very issues that Judge Cooper cited in his rejection of the right to rename the center without congressional approval.

I agree with the court on its standing decision, which is hardly a surprise given my past writings in favor of broader standing.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP'S NAME REMOVED FROM KENNEDY CENTER, SAYS ONLY CONGRESS CAN RENAME IT

However, the opinion becomes more challengeable when the court addresses the decision to close the center for two years to carry out major renovations. The opinion is rife with digs at President Donald Trump for his social media postings and his unilateral plan for a ballroom. Judge Cooper editorializes that "Especially after the demolition of the East Wing of the White House — which occurred out of the blue a few months after President Trump pledged that construction would not ‘interfere with’ and would ‘pay total respect to the existing building’ — there has been understandable concern that the Kennedy Center may be the next target of the wrecking ball."

Judge Cooper accepts that the center is long overdue for major renovations and that the board had the authority to order them. He further rejects the sweeping claims of litigants that Trump was planning to effectively raze the center: "The evidence before the Court does not demonstrate that the Center is poised for wholesale destruction and rebuilding, à la the East Wing."

The opinion is rife with digs at........

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