Federal Courts and Separation of Powers

Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio board member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has filed an amended federal lawsuit in Washington seeking to stop President Donald Trump from closing the Kennedy Center for two years starting July 4, 2026, for what he has called a “complete rebuilding.” The suit argues that Trump’s own statements suggest he plans to demolish the existing building, cites his surprise demolition of the White House East Wing for a new ballroom as a warning sign, and says Congress has never authorized either a full shutdown or reconstruction of the congressionally chartered ‘living memorial’ to President John F. Kennedy. Beatty’s lawyers, including former Obama ethics counsel Norman Eisen, contend Trump is violating the statute that governs the center and trying to silence dissenting trustees, and they are asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to intervene before “irreparable harm” is done. The White House, through spokeswoman Liz Huston, defends the plan as “rescuing and revitalizing” a “tired, broken and dilapidated” facility and dismisses critics as “deranged Democrats,” while Trump insists he will not “rip it down” but will reuse the steel and some marble. The case escalates a broader fight over Trump’s aggressive moves to remake federal cultural sites—after he installed himself as Kennedy Center board chair, stacked it with allies and targeted programming he labels “woke”—and tests how far a president can go in reshaping a national cultural institution without explicit congressional approval.