BREAKING: Board votes to close Kennedy Center after federal judge bars Trump's name from facade

The board of the Kennedy Center voted on Tuesday to close the storied performing arts space due to their "dire financial position." The vote came as a federal judge said that President Donald Trump's name could not be added to the building. Trump pressed for the move in order to aid him in fundraising for the structure and he is the chairman of the board.

A recent ceiling collapse emphasized the concerns Trump noted about the building when he initially said, upon coming into office, that the Kennedy Center should be closed so renovations could be done. The plan was to add Trump's name to the building, calling it the Trump Kennedy Center, and to close for two years to make upgrades to the buidling facade and structure.

The board has voted repeatedly to close the building only to have their decisions held up in the courts. This Tuesday vote marks the third time the board has said that the building must close. Former board member Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio brought the issue before a federal court, saying that the board needed more due diligence before shutting down. 

The legal fights against the board of the Kennedy Center and against Trump and his proposed rennovations is part of the incessant battle of Democrats against any Trump initiative. They were angry that a Joel Shapiro statue was removed from the grounds of the Kennedy Center and returned to his foundation. They have been in and out of court to try to stop the construction of ballroom at the White House that is already underway.

The Kennedy Center was originally set to close July 5 but the legal action has stood in the way. The board also says that this legal action has made it impossible for them to engage in emergency repairs, though the judge overseeing the case said this was not true.