Arts and Cultural Institutions Governance

Democratic lawmaker Beatty asked a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center and the Trump administration to block and reverse efforts to attach former President Trump’s name to the venue, arguing Congress intended it to be named only for John F. Kennedy and was “particularly sensitive that no other names appear” on the memorial’s exterior. The filing follows a December vote by Trump’s handpicked board to rename the site the “Trump‑Kennedy Center” and the addition of his name to the facade, website and social media; Beatty’s lawyers, Norm Eisen and Nathaniel Zelinsky, call the change an “abuse of power,” and a separate coalition of preservation groups is also suing over related renovations and a two‑year closure.