WASHINGTON, D.C. – Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty of Ohio filed a formal lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday, seeking a court order to force the removal of his name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The legal action follows a controversial decision by the Center’s board to rename the iconic cultural institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” a move Beatty argues was executed illegally and without the necessary legislative authority.

Allegations of Unlawful Board Action The lawsuit centers on the assertion that the Kennedy Center, established as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, cannot be renamed through a simple board vote. Beatty, who serves as an ex-officio member of the board, contends that an Act of Congress is strictly required to alter the name of the facility. The complaint characterizes the renaming as a bypass of federal law and a violation of the building’s founding charter.

According to the filing, the addition of the name “The Donald J. Trump” to the signage constitutes a significant overreach. The lawsuit explicitly states, “This is a flagrant violation of the rule of law, and it flies in the face of our constitutional order.” The text of the complaint further elaborates on the intent behind the Center’s creation, noting that “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.”

The plaintiffs are seeking immediate judicial intervention, arguing that without a court order, the defendants “will continue to defy Congress and thwart the law for improper ends.”

Dispute Over Voting Process A key component of the lawsuit involves the procedural circumstances under which the board’s vote took place. The White House announced last week that the board, which is currently chaired by President Trump and includes several of his appointees, voted “unanimously” to approve the name change. However, Representative Beatty disputes the nature of this unanimity, alleging that technical controls were used to silence dissent during the call.

Beatty told reporters that she attempted to voice her opposition during the remote meeting but found herself unable to speak. “I said, ‘I have something to say,’ and I was muted,” Beatty explained regarding the incident. She detailed her attempts to rejoin the discussion, stating, “As I continued to try to unmute, to ask questions and voice my opposition to this, I received a note saying that I would not be unmuted.”

Consequently, Beatty was excluded from the final tally. “I was not allowed to vote because I was muted. I would not have supported this,” she clarified, directly challenging the narrative of a unanimous consensus.

White House Justification and Response In response to inquiries regarding the lawsuit, the White House has defended the board’s decision, emphasizing the President’s role in revitalizing the institution. White House spokesperson Liz Huston declined to comment strictly on the litigation specifics but issued a statement to ABC News explaining the board’s motivation. Huston stated that the vote to rename the facility occurred after President Trump “stepped up and saved the old Kennedy Center.”

President Trump echoed this sentiment last week, publicly discussing the condition of the facility prior to his involvement. “We’re saving the building. We saved the building,” Trump said. He described the previous state of the center as being in “bad shape — physically, financially, in every other way,” before asserting that under his guidance, “now it’s very solid and very strong.”

Following the board’s vote, the implementation of the change was swift. Workers were observed adding President Trump’s name to the facade of the building the very next day. Photography taken on December 19, 2025, confirms the signage now reads “The Donald J. Trump” alongside the original “John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

Legal Representation and Ethics Concerns Representative Beatty has retained high-profile legal counsel for this challenge. She is represented by Norman Eisen, a former White House ethics counsel during the Obama administration, and Nathaniel Zelinsky, co-counsel of the Washington Litigation Group.

In a joint statement, Eisen and Zelinsky condemned the renaming effort, using sharp language to describe the actions of the board and the administration. “The President and his sycophants have no lawful authority to rename the Kennedy Center,” the attorneys wrote. They maintain that the authority to alter the designation of a congressionally chartered memorial rests solely with the legislative branch, not the executive board.

The lawsuit serves as a significant constitutional challenge regarding the governance of national memorials and the extent of executive influence over federally chartered arts institutions. As of Tuesday, the new signage remains in place while the court reviews the plaintiff’s request for its removal.