Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democratic member of Congress and an ex-officio board member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration after the center added President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
The lawsuit
Beatty’s suit argues that renaming the center would require an act of Congress, because the original name was established through legislation signed into law. She calls the effort “more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes than an American Republic.” The suit states: “This is a flagrant violation of the rule of law, and it flies in the face of our constitutional order. 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 suit reads.
Beatty is asking a federal judge to declare that the name of the center is the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts – its legal name – and that any vote to change the name was null and void and without legal effect.
The virtual board meeting
The lawsuit alleges that during the meeting where the vote took place, which Beatty attended virtually, she was muted after she identified herself. Beatty “repeatedly attempted to unmute herself,” the suit says, but “found that she was unable to do so.” Instead, Plaintiff received written notices that she would not be unmuted, and therefore she could not participate in the meeting. At the end of the meeting, members of the Board falsely declared that the vote had been unanimous. It is clear that nothing could or would change Defendants’ minds,” attorneys for Beatty wrote.
The Kennedy Center’s board, handpicked by Trump, voted last week to change the institution’s name to the Trump-Kennedy Center. A day after the vote, Trump’s name was affixed to the center’s facade above President John F. Kennedy’s name.
Legal arguments
Beatty’s claim rests on the fact that the center’s name was originally set by Congress. Because the renaming would alter a name that Congress had legislated, she argues that only Congress can authorize such a change. The suit further contends that the board’s decision, made under the influence of the Trump administration, violates the rule of law.
Roma Daravi, the center’s vice president of public relations, told NBC News that Beatty was not a voting member of the board and was granted the privilege of listening into the meeting. The board’s decision to rename the center, therefore, occurred without her direct participation.
Reactions and context
Members of the Kennedy family and many Democratic lawmakers publicly opposed the renaming move and questioned its legality. The move is not the first time Trump has become intertwined with the center’s affairs. Earlier this year, he abruptly shuffled the makeup of the center’s board of trustees, which then elected him board chair. The board then changed the center’s programming, effectively canceling some Pride gatherings.
Trump had teased changing the center’s name to include his own, and GOP lawmakers had proposed renaming it after first lady Melania Trump.
Key Takeaways
- Rep. Joyce Beatty sues the Trump administration over the renaming of the Kennedy Center, citing congressional authority.
- Beatty was muted during a virtual board meeting where the name change was approved.
- The lawsuit claims the board’s decision violates the rule of law and the center’s original purpose.
Beatty’s legal action underscores the ongoing tension between the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center’s governance. The outcome of the case will determine whether the center can retain its historic name or continue under a new designation that includes President Trump’s name.
