A federal judge ruled Saturday that Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty is entitled to participate in a Kennedy Center board meeting to discuss President Donald Trump’s plan to close the performing arts center for two years of renovations, while stopping short of requiring the board to allow her to vote.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered that the board must give Beatty documents about the closure and renovation plans. The judge said withholding that information before the vote would prevent Beatty from doing her job as a trustee, and he also said she must be allowed to speak at the meeting.
Cooper ruled that Beatty does not have a right to vote at this “very early stage.” “The Court finds, however, that Beatty has not carried her burden as to her right to vote, at least at this very early stage,” Cooper said. The judge added that allowing Beatty to participate means “the marginal harm to her from not voting is much less,” explaining that she would be able to lodge objections on the record and have the opportunity to persuade her colleagues of her position.
Kennedy Center spokeswoman Roma Daravi said the center would abide by the court’s ruling and would provide information demonstrating the need for closure and renovations. There was no immediate response from Beatty to requests for comment on the decision.
After Cooper heard arguments Thursday, Beatty told reporters she went to court to stand up for the rule of law and democracy. Outside the courthouse, she said, “I want to know where your money — our money — is going.”
Beatty’s lawsuit sought to preclude the Trump administration from excluding her from the Monday meeting, where board members are expected to decide whether to approve Trump’s proposal to shutter the center during the construction project. Her lawyer, Nathaniel Zelinsky, argued that the administration has engaged in a pattern of trying to stifle dissent at meetings like the one scheduled for Monday.
Zelinsky told the judge, “We’re not asking for something unusual,” and said, “It’s my friends on the other side you are asking you to deviate from the norm.” Cooper pressed U.S. Justice Department lawyer William Jankowski on why the administration balked at providing Beatty details of its plans for the meeting.
During the hearing, Cooper asked Jankowski, “Why not just give her the information?” Cooper also asked, “How is the government harmed?” Jankowski said the information—which he described as possibly a work in progress—should be provided to Beatty and other meeting participants by Monday, and he told Cooper, “An action isn’t final until it’s final.”
The dispute comes as Trump has increased his involvement with the Kennedy Center after returning to office in January 2025. The Associated Press reported that Trump previously paid scant attention to the center during his first term, including skipping the annual honors awards programs in 2017 after threatening to boycott. After taking office again, Trump named supporters, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and longtime aide Dan Scavino, to the board to replace members he had not appointed, and the reconstituted board elected him as chairman.
Trump also appointed Richard Grenell as the center’s president and later secured $257 million from Congress for the Kennedy Center in a tax cut and spending bill signed last summer, according to the report. The Associated Press said Grenell has criticized the center’s finances, and Trump announced Friday that Grenell would step down and be succeeded by Matt Floca. The changes are expected to be finalized at Monday’s board meeting, the report said.
The Associated Press said the building has faced setbacks since Trump stepped up his operational involvement, with numerous artists canceling performances and attendance dropping. It also said that in December the board voted to add Trump’s name to the institution and the next day it appeared on the building’s exterior, sparking outrage from some Kennedy family members. In February, Trump announced on social media that he was closing the Kennedy Center on July 4 for two years for renovations, subject to board approval.