Legal organizations who support President Trump are continuing to battle on his behalf as he deals with judge-shopping leftists who oppose virtually his entire agenda.
An Obama-appointed federal judge who blocked Trump’s name from appearing on the Kennedy Center is now facing a formal judicial misconduct complaint alleging a potential conflict of interest.
Advertisement
The complaint, filed by a conservative watchdog organization, argues that U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper should have recused himself from the case because of his wife’s legal work involving prominent Trump opponents.
The group contends that those professional connections created, at minimum, the appearance of a conflict that called Cooper’s impartiality into question.
The dispute began after the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Dec. 18, 2025, to rename the Washington, D.C., institution the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Advertisement
Four days later, Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed a lawsuit challenging the board’s decision.
On May 29, Cooper permanently blocked the name change, ruling that the Kennedy Center’s board had exceeded its legal authority and that only Congress had the power to formally rename the institution.
Advertisement
The Center to Advance Security in America, or CASA, subsequently filed a judicial misconduct complaint dated June 9 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
CASA argues that Cooper should have disclosed or recused himself from the case because of legal work performed by his wife, attorney Amy Jeffress.
The organization has asked the appeals court to investigate Cooper’s handling of the case and determine whether disciplinary action is warranted under federal judicial conduct rules.
As Fox News reported, CASA Director of Research and Policy Curtis Schube accused Cooper of “potentially unethical behavior” in handling the Kennedy Center lawsuit.
“There was a clear need for Cooper to recuse himself from this matter, or at the very least disclose these conflicts,” Schube said.
“By doing neither, Cooper caused — at the very least — an appearance of impropriety, which warrants a full investigation,” Schube continued, per Fox.
The complaint cites three provisions of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges in arguing that Cooper should have recused himself or disclosed his wife’s professional connections.
Canon 1 calls on federal judges to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary, while Canon 2 directs judges to avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.
Advertisement
Canon 3 requires judges to perform their duties fairly and impartially and provides for disqualification in circumstances where their impartiality could reasonably be questioned, including certain situations involving a spouse’s interests.
The complaint focuses on Jeffress, who has represented several individuals and organizations involved in high-profile legal disputes connected to Trump.
Jeffress represented former FBI attorney Lisa Page during congressional scrutiny and litigation involving the FBI and Justice Department.
Page, like former ranking FBI official Peter Strzok, was caught up in the ‘Russian collusion’ hoax to deny Trump from taking office and then undermine him once he did. Both were fired by the bureau.
Advertisement
Jeffress later served as outside counsel to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and currently represents former President Joe Biden.
Biden has filed a lawsuit that seeks to prevent the Trump Justice Department from releasing recordings connected to former special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents.
Cooper has faced similar recusal questions before.
Advertisement
During Special Counsel John Durham’s prosecution of former Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann, critics pointed to Jeffress’ representation of Page, whose anti-Trump text messages with Strzok generated significant controversy.
Page, however, was not part of the Crossfire Hurricane investigative team itself.
Cooper ultimately allowed the Sussmann case to proceed to trial. A jury in Democrat-heavy Washington, D.C., eventually acquitted Sussmann in May 2022, though it seemed that Durham had him dead to rights.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
