Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to remove Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C.
Lawsuit Alleges Improper Renaming
The lawsuit, brought by Beatty, an ex-officio trustee on the board, argues the vote to rename the Kennedy Center is a “flagrant violation” of law, as congressional approval is required for such an action. “Congress intended the Center to be a living memorial to President Kennedy – and a crown jewel of the arts for all Americans, irrespective of party. Unless and until this Court intervenes, Defendants will continue to defy Congress and thwart the law for improper ends,” the complaint stated.
Beatty also alleges she was prevented from speaking during the board’s vote on the renaming. During a video call regarding the matter, Beatty said she was muted and unable to express her disapproval of the name change.
Beatty is being represented by the Washington Litigation Group and Democracy Defenders Action.
White House Defends Name Change
In response to a request for comment, White House spokesperson Liz Huston told ABC News that Trump “stepped up and saved the old Kennedy Center.”
The Trump administration announced last week that the Kennedy Center board “voted unanimously” to rename the center to the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” with workers already changing the name on the building’s exterior. The Kennedy Center later confirmed the vote to change the name in an email to the Washington Post.
Critics Question Legality
Joe Kennedy III, a former congressman for Massachusetts and the grandnephew of John F Kennedy, also questioned the legality of the name change in a post to X. “The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” he said on X.
The name change is the latest effort by Trump to dramatically reshape the storied arts organization as part of a so-called “take-over,” the president said in February. Since the beginning of his presidency, Trump has installed himself as chair of the center, replaced the previously bipartisan board and shifted the center’s programming focus towards patriotism.
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