A federal judge ruled on Saturday that a Democratic lawmaker is entitled to participate in a Kennedy Center board meeting to discuss a plan to close the performing arts center. The ruling came after the lawmaker, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, sued for access, arguing the board was violating federal open meeting laws by excluding him from discussions about the potential closure.
The Kennedy Center, officially named the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is a federally funded institution. The legal dispute centers on whether its board meetings, particularly those involving significant operational decisions like closure, are subject to the Government in the Sunshine Act, which requires certain federal agency meetings to be open to the public.
Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary order allowing Raskin to attend the meeting. The judge stated that the lawmaker had shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of his claim that the board's deliberations on this matter should be public. The board had argued its meetings were private.
The case highlights ongoing tensions over transparency in federally chartered institutions. The Kennedy Center's board includes presidential appointees and members of Congress. A final hearing on the injunction is scheduled for later this month.
