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A group of cultural and historic preservation groups on Wednesday called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has undergone significant changes since the president returned to office last year.
The groups asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent any construction ahead of the scheduled July 6 project launch, saying they worry the president and the center’s board of trustees will ignore historic preservation rules that aim to maintain the building.
Attorney Greg Werkheiser said after the hearing that the laws that govern the process “go to the very fundamental question of: Do we slow down and take stock before we make changes to properties that define the American experience?”
Justice Department attorneys, representing the president and board, argued that the administration’s plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the authority of the board as they claimed extra approvals were not needed.
TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER’S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE
A group of cultural and historic preservation groups called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (Getty Images)
After returning to the White House, Trump ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a handpicked board of allies who named him chairman, a move that sparked backlash from many artists. Trump’s name was also later added to the building’s facade so that it reads: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
Trump announced the scheduled renovations for the center earlier this year.
The hearing on Wednesday came after a separate one the day before regarding the future of the center.
Rep. Joyce Beatty,…
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