U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty sues to block Kennedy Center name change

U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, filed a lawsuit to block adding President Donald Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Beatty decided to file a lawsuit after a board decided to add Trump’s name to the building, 10 WBNS reported. According to the lawmaker, the recent decision was improper and potentially unlawful.

Beatty said in the lawsuit that she is acting as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees and has serious concerns about the process used to approve the name change.

She also said the board didn’t act unanimously, claiming she was muted during the virtual meeting when the vote occurred, which prevented her from voicing her opposition or participating in the discussion.

The legal filing asks the court to prevent the name change from taking effect and argues that the board of trustees exceeded its authority by approving the action without a proper legal basis or broader institutional consent. According to Beatty, the move to rename the national cultural center isn’t simply a matter of internal governance but involves questions of statutory authority and adherence to established procedures.

The Kennedy Center, originally named for President John F. Kennedy, was renamed to include Trump’s name, with workers updating the building’s exterior signage shortly after the board’s decision, Fox 10 News reported.

Beatty and other critics of the building’s renaming say the recent decision may conflict with federal statutes governing national memorials, adding that a national venue with legislative roots requires more than a board vote to alter its official name or designation.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, represents a direct challenge to the recent actions of the Kennedy Center’s leadership and supporters of the renaming, according to 10 WBNS.

Beatty’s legal team also said that the board’s authority to make such changes is limited by existing law, which they say was improperly circumvented through the recent vote and subsequent signage update.

On the other hand, supporters of the name change, including Trump himself, the members of his administration, and his allies on the board, have defended the move as a necessary modernization or reflection of Trump’s contributions to the center.

Beatty and others who oppose the decision said that the center’s identity and mission as a memorial to Kennedy must be preserved under applicable legal protections.