Judge in Kennedy Center case stops discovery door from slamming shut, and opens it even further, as lawmaker challenges 'Chairman' Trump on executive privilege

A discovery dispute within the broader fight over the fate of the Kennedy Center will drag on at least a bit longer, a federal district judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Friday morning.

In an eight-page order, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, a Barack Obama appointee, gave both parties in the long-running case a reprieve from deadlines that were previously set in mid-September.

The delay, however, is limited, only extending the discovery period through late October — at least for now.

"The discovery period began on September 16, 2026, and is scheduled to end today, October 9, 2026," the order explains. "Last week, however, the parties informed chambers of several discovery disputes."

One of those disputes concerns a 163-page report prepared by a construction company, as well as "a short PowerPoint presentation" related to the renovations proposed by President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Cooper ruled in favor of Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, who recently referred to Trump as the "Chairman" of the center in a motion to compel discovery.

In granting Beatty's motion to compel, the judge ordered the government to produce the PowerPoint presentation in full while offering an opportunity for the Kennedy Center board to propose "narrowly tailored redactions" to the construction report.

At roughly the same time, however, the government also complained about the state of the discovery process.

In a four-page motion for extension of time filed on Wednesday, the government argued that Beatty's latest discovery filing was "relatively long—25 pages—on a complex and weighty issue of law that warrants a reasonable time to provide a response." To that end, the Trump administration asked for an additional two business days to finalize its arguments.

The court granted that motion late Thursday night in a minute order, extending the response deadline to Oct. 14. Beatty, consequently, will have until Oct. 21 should she choose to offer a reply.

Cooper summed up the state of affairs in Friday's order:

[T]he Court directed the parties to memorialize their positions in writing. It further invited Plaintiff to file a motion to compel production of materials and information that she claimed Defendants are improperly withholding on grounds of executive privilege. That information consists of any relevant internal communications that might exist involving President Trump in his capacity as the Chairman of the Kennedy Center Board. The parties have submitted their position statements. Representative Beatty has also filed her motion to compel on the executive-privilege issue. The government's response is not yet due.

Additionally, Beatty herself told the court that the ongoing discovery disputes cannot be resolved by Friday.

In turn, Cooper extended the full discovery period as well.

"Plaintiff requests that the discovery period be enlarged slightly to accommodate the resolution of the above disputes," the order reads. "The Court agrees that an extension is warranted. The Court therefore modifies the Scheduling Order to extend the discovery period by two weeks, through October 23, 2026, to allow for responses to discovery requests already made, as consistent with this Order."

While granting the requests for more time, the judge also substantially enlarged the opportunities for discovery on Beatty's end.

"Discovery extends also to the substance, justification, mechanics, and process of the Board's decision at its September 15 meeting—in addition to its decision at the August 13 meeting—to close the main building of the Center to the public to conduct repairs, as well as the surrounding equities of the decision," the order clarifies.

Justifying the broader net, Cooper said the change was "[c]onsistent with how the parties have apparently proceeded through discovery."