Kennedy Center Trump name plan challenged in court

Opponents of restoring US President Donald Trump's name to the Kennedy Center urged a federal judge on Thursday to block the move, calling it defiance of earlier court rulings.

Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Trump's name removed from the facade of the Washington performing arts center in May. Trump's handpicked Kennedy Center board later voted to restore it.

Under the board's proposal, the words “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump” would appear beneath the slain president's name, and the surrounding site would be renamed the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza”.

Government lawyers told Cooper that the phrasing would not rename the center but would recognise Trump's efforts to renovate the building honoring president John F. Kennedy.

Nathaniel Zelinsky, a lawyer for opponents of Trump's renovation plans, accused the administration of “open defiance” of the court and “massive bad faith”. He also criticised what he described as a threat to demolish the center if Trump does not get his way.

Cooper did not issue a ruling at the end of the hearing, and it was not immediately clear when he might decide.

Cooper has also temporarily blocked Trump's demand to close the Kennedy Center for two years of renovations. The Justice Department argued in an earlier court filing that the building could eventually become unsafe and have to be demolished if courts blocked Trump's restoration and fundraising plans. The filing did not say the administration had a plan to demolish the center.