Judge says Trump has to give 30 days notice before demolishing Kennedy Center
A federal judge on Thursday directed the Trump administration to provide 30 days' notice of any changes in the Kennedy Center's renovation plans, "including but not limited to any 'demolition' of the Center's main building," as the jockeying over the future of the performing arts center continued.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper made his ruling the afternoon after President Donald Trump was photographed looking over a placard that appeared to include the words "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" over what appeared to be an image of a demolition.
In a federal court filing Thursday morning, Kennedy Center executive director Matt Floca said the current closure of the main building is only "temporary," set to last for seven days, and will be reevaluated on a weekly basis.
Judge Cooper, in his ruling, ordered the administration to update him on the status of the "'temporary closure' and emergency repairs" by next Wednesday.
The ruling came as Cooper turned down a request from Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty for an emergency hearing in the case, citing the morning's announcement.
The photos of Trump examining the placard were taken Wednesday night through a cabin window on Air Force One by Agence France-Presse photojournalist Brendan Smialowski, who was acting as the pool photographer for White House coverage, as Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews.
It was not immediately clear what the full contents of the placard were or how they were generated. The published images don't show the entire placard and the word that appears to be "DEMOLISHED" was not entirely visible, cut off as "DEMOLIS."
Asked for comment, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said, "For years, Democrats let the Kennedy Center rot, allowing water damage and crumbling infrastructure to turn a national treasure into a building in decay. As President Trump said last night, without his intervention, The Kennedy Center will inevitably continue to decline."
The images were published on Wednesday evening, shortly after the president said the performing arts center could "close" or be "ripped down" if his administration doesn't receive recognition on the performing arts site.
"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down," the president told reporters on the tarmac in North Carolina.
Congress last year appropriated $257 million for needed renovations. But Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday that those renovations will not take place unless his name is again added onto the building.
His name had been added to the center's exterior after the Trump-controlled board voted in December to rename the building the "Trump-Kennedy Center."
Judge Cooper ruled in May that Trump's name had to come down. Cooper wrote in a decision that the center's rebranding violated the law. He ordered that Trump's name be removed from the building within two weeks.
In July, a panel of D.C. Circuit appeals court judges rejected a request by Trump and fellow members of the center's board to stay the court's order that Trump's name be removed from the building.
Last month, the Kennedy Center board members -- who Trump last year replaced with his allies -- voted to close the famed cultural institution for a two-year renovation. They voted on Tuesday to close the building immediately.
Also on Tuesday, Cooper issued a written order blocking any attempt to add Trump's name to the building, concluding it violated a previous court order and congressional statute.
"Simply put, Defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's blessing," Cooper wrote. "The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted."
ABC News' Karen Travers, Michelle Stoddart and Devin Garbitt contributed to this report.
