Washington, D.C. – Representative Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves ex officio on the Kennedy Center board, filed an emergency petition on Thursday asking a federal court to prevent the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from adding former President Donald J. Trump’s name to the building’s exterior.
Board vote and proposed inscriptions
Earlier this month, the Kennedy Center’s board, which includes members aligned with Trump, voted to place the former president’s name on the venue’s façade. The proposed wording would read, “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.” A second inscription, contingent on the Trump Kennedy Center Fund reaching $100 million, would add, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund.” The board also suggested renaming the plaza in front of the center to honor Trump.
Legal background
The Kennedy Center was established by Congress in 1964 as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. The authorizing statute expressly prohibits the board of trustees from converting the center into a memorial to any other individual or from placing another person’s name on the building’s exterior.
In May, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center had illegally added Trump’s name to the building and ordered its removal. The center complied in June, taking down the lettering but leaving a tarp and scaffolding where the name had been displayed.
Beatty’s emergency request
Beatty’s attorneys, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, argue that the board’s recent actions constitute a “clear violation” of Judge Cooper’s order. Their filing seeks an immediate injunction to stop the center from proceeding with any further engraving, renaming, or related construction until the legal dispute is resolved.
Center’s response
A Kennedy Center spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a prior statement, the board’s resolution praised Trump as “an unparalleled fundraiser and world‑class developer,” claiming the center would face “financial ruin” without his involvement.
Legal counsel for the center indicated that the scaffolding and tarp remain because they are part of a broader system needed for water testing and structural repairs to the roof overhang. The center has not committed to removing the scaffolding this week.
Implications
The dispute highlights the tension between private fundraising efforts and statutory limits on how the national performing‑arts venue may be memorialized. If the court grants Beatty’s request, the Kennedy Center would be barred from any further attempts to name the building after Trump until the underlying legal questions are fully addressed.
Stakeholders on both sides argue that the outcome will set a precedent for how cultural institutions handle donor recognition when it conflicts with congressional mandates.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
