Congresswoman Beatty Sues to Block Trump’s Kennedy Center Renaming and Closure Plan
In a significant legal challenge, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) has filed a motion in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to remove President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and halt a proposed two-year closure. Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board, submitted the filing through her legal counsel, Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group. The lawsuit argues that the board’s decision to rename the institution violates federal law and the trust established by Congress.
Legal Challenge: Statutes and Fiduciary Duty
The core of Beatty’s legal argument rests on the original 1964 legislation that created the Kennedy Center as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy. The memorandum filed with the court states unequivocally: “Congress [in 1964] was clear: The Kennedy Center is named for ‘John F. Kennedy,’ and no one else.” It further cites a 1983 statutory provision that explicitly prohibits the addition of new memorials or plaques in the Center’s public areas, contending that the name change constitutes an illegal “additional memorial.”
Beatty alleges that the board, under Trump’s influence, acted as a “rubberstamp” and breached its fiduciary duties as trustees of the memorial. “By renaming the Center — in violation of the law — Defendants have breached the terms of the trust and their most basic fiduciary obligations,” the filing asserts. The motion requests a permanent injunction to stop the renaming, arguing it has already caused tangible harm by prompting major artists and productions to cancel performances.
Impact: Artist cancellations and the proposed closure
The lawsuit details a cascade of cancellations following the renaming, including performances by Philip Glass, Béla Fleck, Renée Fleming, a production of *Hamilton*, and the Washington National Opera. Beatty’s filing links these cancellations directly to the name change, stating it has “undermined [the institution’s] ability to maintain the Center as a performing arts space and living memorial to President Kennedy.”
Separately, Beatty is challenging the board’s plan to close the Center for two years starting in July for renovations. The filing alleges the closure decision was rushed and based on old reports, not a new, independent analysis. It argues that closing the Center well before construction can responsibly begin “would also constitute a fundamental breach of Defendants’ most basic fiduciary obligations.” The motion claims the premature announcement of closure, which Trump admitted at a board meeting occurred before a formal vote, mirrors a “demolition-first-ask-questions-later approach.”
Precedent, Process, and Political Context
This is not Beatty’s first legal action on this matter. She filed an initial lawsuit in December 2024 to stop the renaming and another in March 2025 to block the closure. On March 16, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that, among other things, allowed Beatty to receive documents about the shutdown plan and attend a board meeting. However, she was not permitted to vote, a point of contention. The Kennedy Center’s public relations vice president, Roma Daravi, stated Beatty was invited to the meeting, while Beatty’s team claims the invitation was not communicated through standard channels and was ignored when inquired about.
Beatty frames the dispute as a constitutional and legal issue, not a partisan one. “Donald Trump’s attempt to rename the Kennedy Center after himself is not just an act of ego,” she said in a statement. “It is an attempt to subvert our Constitution and the rule of law. Congress established the Kennedy Center by law, and only Congress can change its name.” The Kennedy Center, in its statement, maintains that the “Kennedy Memorial is not impacted at all by the recent name change” and that the board’s decisions on the name and renovations will be upheld by the court.
Related Content
In a separate but related development, it was announced that comedian Bill Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on June 28. This comes after previous reporting that the White House had denied the award to Maher. An administration official now tells Rolling Stone the prior reporting was false and that “the situation changed after further conversations took place between the Trump-Kennedy Center and event organizers over the past week.” The gala will be streamed on Netflix.
This article was updated at 8:17 p.m. ET to include statements from Beatty.
