Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, submitted an emergency court filing late Thursday seeking to block the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees from reinstalling President Trump’s name on the performing arts facility in Washington, D.C. The board had approved new signage plans during a meeting on Aug. 13 that would display Trump’s name multiple times across the building’s exterior.
Under the proposed arrangement, Trump’s name would appear twice on the front entryway and a third time as part of a plaza designation on the grounds. The signage would read “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump, Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund,” with the final line contingent on securing $100 million in donations. The board also seeks to rename the physical grounds “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
In May, federal Judge Christopher Cooper had previously ruled that a similar attempt to rename the institution as the Trump-Kennedy Center violated federal law. The judge stated that Congress alone possesses the authority to alter the center’s name, as it was established by congressional mandate as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Beatty’s legal team argued the new proposal represents another violation of that ruling and the judge’s prior order.
Beatty, who serves as an ex-officio board member and filed her initial lawsuit against the board last December, characterized the situation as repeated defiance of court authority. She stated in a Thursday evening message that the board’s actions constitute unlawful conduct and that the Kennedy Center represents a space belonging to the American people. The board had indicated it would not attempt to add Trump’s name to the building before Sept. 8, but Beatty’s team labeled this timeline an artificial deadline requiring immediate judicial intervention.
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