00:00America's National Cultural Center, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is closing for good.
00:07Sources tell ABC News the order coming from the Kennedy Center Board of Trump appointees moments after a judge stopped
00:13them from putting Trump's name on the center.
00:15Judge Christopher Cooper said the Trump administration was engaging in word games and linguistic gymnastics
00:21when it sought to argue that adding Trump's name to the building facade didn't violate the Kennedy Center's governing statute
00:27that said no additional memorials or plaques should be publicly installed at the Performing Arts Center.
00:32Trump's allies initially sought to rename the center after the president.
00:35When that was blocked by Judge Cooper earlier this year, the board pivoted to an inscription that said the center
00:40was, quote,
00:41renovated and restored by President Trump.
00:43But in today's ruling, Judge Cooper said adding that inscription still violates the law against new memorials at the Kennedy
00:48Center.
00:49Peter Haralambus, ABC News.
00:51Judge Christopher Cooper Tuesday issued a written order blocking the attempt to add President Trump's name to the Kennedy Center,
00:56concluding that it violated a previous court order and congressional statute.
01:00The order says, quote,
01:02simply put, defendants cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress's
01:08blessing.
01:09The board resolution bucks a federal court order and a statute Congress enacted.
01:13Judge Cooper had previously blocked the president from renaming the Kennedy Center after himself,
01:17but the board voted last month to add the president's name to the building to recognize him as the person
01:22who, quote,
01:22renovated and restored the center.
01:25Karen Travers, ABC News, the White House.
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