The Kennedy Center on Friday asked a federal judge for more time to comply with deadlines in an ongoing lawsuit over its looming closure as the center’s board explores avenues for renovation.
The historic arts center is considering three paths forward but needs more time to figure out what path it will take, Justice Department attorneys representing the center wrote in a Friday night court filing.
The first option would be to close the center while renovations take place, according to the filing. The second would be to put on limited events at the center in areas not affected by the renovations, and the third would be to close the center periodically to address serious repairs while “maintaining a full slate of programming.”
Leaders at the center expect to present the three options to President Donald Trump’s hand-picked board of trustees for a vote in mid-July, according to the filing.
The center’s planned closure has been indefinitely blocked by the federal judge in Washington, DC, who ruled last month that its board had unlawfully voted in favor of the shutdown plans. If the Kennedy Center closed completely, US District Judge Casey Cooper ruled, it would not be able to carry out its congressionally mandated activities. Cooper is demanding the center continue to operate during renovations.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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