Obama Judge Who Has Obsession With Trump Hit With Judicial Complaint

The federal judge who ordered President Donald Trump’s name removed from the Kennedy Center is now facing a formal judicial misconduct complaint over allegations that his wife’s legal work created at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.

The Center to Advance Security in America, a conservative watchdog organization, filed the complaint against U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

CASA argues that Cooper should have either recused himself from the Kennedy Center litigation or disclosed his wife’s professional relationships with several prominent Trump adversaries.

The complaint does not establish that Cooper violated judicial ethics. It asks the appeals court to investigate whether his handling of the case complied with federal recusal and judicial-conduct rules.

The controversy began after the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees voted in December 2025 to rename the Washington institution the Trump-Kennedy Center.

Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio challenged the board’s decision in federal court four days later.

On May 29, Cooper permanently blocked the name change, concluding that the Kennedy Center board lacked the authority to formally rename the institution without congressional approval.

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so,” Cooper wrote in his ruling.

“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” he added.

Cooper directed the institution to remove physical and digital references to the “Trump Kennedy Center” and similar names within 14 days. The Kennedy Center subsequently appealed the decision. NPR

CASA’s complaint focuses on Cooper’s wife, Amy Jeffress, an attorney whose clients and professional assignments have included several figures and organizations involved in major legal disputes surrounding Trump.

“There was a clear need for Cooper to recuse himself from this matter, or at the very least disclose these conflicts,” CASA Director of Research and Policy Curtis Schube said.

“By doing neither, Cooper caused — at the very least — an appearance of impropriety, which warrants a full investigation,” he continued.

Jeffress previously represented former FBI attorney Lisa Page, whose anti-Trump text messages with former FBI official Peter Strzok became a central controversy surrounding the bureau’s handling of the investigation into alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.

Page resigned from the FBI in 2018, while Strzok was fired later that year.

Jeffress also served as outside counsel to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. She currently represents former President Joe Biden in litigation seeking to prevent the Trump Justice Department from releasing recordings of Biden’s interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur.

Hur investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents but declined to recommend criminal charges.

CASA argues that Jeffress’ work created professional and potential financial interests that Cooper should have disclosed before presiding over litigation involving Trump and his administration.

The complaint cites three provisions of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges.

Canon 1 instructs judges to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary. Canon 2 directs them to avoid impropriety and its appearance, while Canon 3 requires judges to act fairly and impartially and to disqualify themselves when their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

The complaint’s central argument is not necessarily that Cooper’s wife personally participated in the Kennedy Center dispute. Instead, CASA contends that her extensive involvement in Trump-related litigation created an appearance problem serious enough to require disclosure or recusal.

Cooper has faced similar criticism before.

During special counsel John Durham’s prosecution of former Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann, Trump supporters questioned whether Cooper should preside over the case because Jeffress had represented Page.

Sussmann was accused of falsely telling the FBI that he was not acting on behalf of a client when he provided the bureau with allegations concerning Trump and Russia. A Washington jury acquitted him in May 2022.

President Trump also publicly accused Cooper of having a conflict after the Kennedy Center ruling, pointing directly to Jeffress’ work for Biden, Page and the Jan. 6 committee.

The misconduct complaint does not automatically result in discipline, nor does it reverse Cooper’s Kennedy Center decision. The D.C. Circuit will determine whether the allegations warrant further investigation or other action.

The underlying Kennedy Center battle is also continuing. The Trump-aligned board recently approved another proposal to recognize the president on the building’s façade and rename the surrounding plaza in his honor, prompting Beatty to seek additional court intervention. Reuters

For Trump’s supporters, the complaint raises another question about judicial transparency as federal judges continue to decide cases affecting major portions of the president’s agenda.

The legal standard is not simply whether a judge believes he can remain impartial. Federal law also considers whether a reasonable observer might question that impartiality.

CASA now wants the appellate court to decide whether Cooper crossed that line by remaining silent about his wife’s extensive work for some of Trump’s most prominent political and legal opponents.