Rep. Beatty Requests Emergency Hearing Regarding Violation Of Court Order
September 16, 2026
The District Court’s May 29 order prevents the Kennedy Center from shutting, but today in an apparent act of brazen defiance, defendants shut down the Kennedy Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio-03, filed a motion requesting an emergency hearing before a federal district court to enforce compliance with the court’s order following the Kennedy Center’s unlawful closure. The building is currently inaccessible to the public during normal operating hours today, despite a federal court order barring Donald Trump and his handpicked board from shutting down the Kennedy Center. Rep. Beatty is requesting an emergency hearing for the government to answer for its brazen defiance of the court.
“Closing the Kennedy Center without Judge Cooper’s approval appears to directly violate his order. This is an assault on the rule of law,” said Rep. Beatty’s counsel, Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky of Washington Litigation Group. “The board cannot simply ignore Judge Cooper’s rulings whenever it suits them. In this country, no one — including the president — is above the law.”
BACKGROUND: Under federal statute, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was established by Congress as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Only Congress holds the statutory authority to change the institution’s name or authorize additional memorials on the site. Two federal court orders by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper repeatedly blocked unlawful attempts by the board of trustees to rename the building, one on May 29 and another on Sept. 15.
In his May 29 order, Judge Cooper also blocked closure of the facility without his authorization, stating that defendants could not undertake steps to shutdown the Kennedy Center until the “Court issues a further Order dissolving or modifying [its] preliminary injunction.”
Read the full motion here.
Read Judge Cooper’s initial May 29 order here.
Read Judge Cooper’s opinion on the May 29 order here.
Read Judge Cooper’s most recent Sept. 15 order here.
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Democracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
The Washington Litigation Group is a nonpartisan team of attorneys dedicated to defending individuals and institutions that have been unlawfully targeted for exercising their legal rights and to fighting against governmental overreach.
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