Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to include President Donald Trump’s name, calling the move illegal and a violation of federal law.
Beatty, who represents Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District and serves as an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, filed the complaint Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The suit names Trump, interim Kennedy Center Executive Director Richard Grenell, and other board members as defendants, and seeks to undo the recent rebranding of the landmark arts institution.
The controversy stems from a December 18 vote by the Kennedy Center board, led by Trump and populated with his appointees, to rename the center the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
Workers reportedly added Trump’s name to the building’s exterior the next day. Critics argue that the decision goes against the center’s founding law, which designates it solely as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts as established by Congress.
In her lawsuit, Beatty contends that the board’s vote oversteps its authority under federal statute.
“Only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center,” the complaint says, noting that the center’s name was set by an act of Congress and cannot be altered without congressional action. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the renaming vote unlawful, restore the original name, and order removal of the Trump branding from both physical signage and digital platforms.
Beatty has also publicly criticized the process behind the vote, saying she was “muted” and prevented from speaking out against the renaming during the board meeting. Multiple lawmakers and members of the Kennedy family have voiced similar objections, arguing that the change undermines the center’s mission and historical purpose.
Supporters of the renaming, including the White House, defend the decision as recognition of Trump’s role in revitalizing the institution.
White House representatives have said Trump helped secure significant funding and improvements for the aging center’s infrastructure. However, the legal challenge asserts that these accomplishments do not grant the board unilateral authority to override federal naming statutes.
Legal experts and bipartisan critics have questioned whether the board’s action sets a troubling precedent for political influence over national memorials.
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