A United States federal judge has ordered the board of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts to provide a detailed explanation for the continued presence of scaffolding and a tarpaulin on the building’s front portico, weeks after the name of former President Donald Trump was removed from the facade under court order. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper set a deadline of 31 July, or seven days after the board’s next scheduled meeting, whichever is sooner, for a joint-status report that must clarify “the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding” if they remain in place. The order also requires the parties to update the court on any plans for future construction and operations at the Washington landmark.

According to the Kennedy Centre’s administration, the tarpaulin and scaffolding are necessary for repairs to the marble facade. A spokesperson told the Washington Post that the coverings were installed for this work, though no date has been given for their removal. The centre’s board, which was reconstituted with Trump loyalists after the president named himself chairman, is simultaneously appealing the underlying May ruling that invalidated the addition of Trump’s name. In court filings, the board has argued that stripping the Trump branding will “substantially undermine fundraising and financial viability,” asserting that certain donors had conditioned their contributions on the name remaining on the building.

Plaintiffs in the case, led by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio, who serves on the board ex officio, have characterised the tarpaulin as an act of defiance. In a filing earlier this week, Beatty’s legal team described the covering as “petulant defiance” of the court’s order and suggested it was maintained to “massage broken egos.” Other Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, have publicly labelled the situation a “literal coverup.” Viewed from Washington, the dispute over the tarpaulin is the latest flashpoint in a broader struggle over the institution’s governance, which began when Trump moved to place allies in control of the board and the centre voted to rename itself the “Trump Kennedy Centre” without seeking congressional approval.

Judge Cooper’s May ruling held that the 1964 law establishing the centre delegates naming authority to Congress, and he temporarily blocked a planned two-year closure for renovations, calling the decision “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” The centre has since argued it is not required to reschedule cancelled programming to comply with the order to remain open, a stance Beatty contends has turned the venue into a “lifeless husk.” The judge this week denied the centre’s request to pause a deadline to respond to the complaint while the appeal proceeds, but also rejected Beatty’s motion to compel immediate proof of compliance with the operations order, allowing her to renew the request if the centre fails to function past its originally planned closure date of 5 July. The joint-status report is now the next formal step in a dossier that remains before the federal appeals court.