Representative Joyce Beatty’s Kennedy Center lawsuit ended, at least for now, with a sweeping win in federal district court: on May 29, 2026, Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Trump administration’s renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was illegal, blocked the planned two-year closure of the building, and restored the voting rights of ex officio trustees. Trump’s name came off the facade on June 13, 2026, after the D.C. Circuit refused to pause the order.
What Beatty Sued Over
Beatty filed Beatty v. Trump (No. 1:25-cv-04480) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on December 22, 2025, four days after the Kennedy Center’s board voted by Zoom to rename the institution “The Donald J. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.”1Rep. Joyce Beatty. New Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Renaming of the Kennedy Center The formal new name adopted by the board was “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”2CNN. Trump Kennedy Center Name She sued as an ex officio trustee, a seat she has held since 2019, and was represented by the Washington Litigation Group and Democracy Defenders Action.
The original complaint raised six claims, including breach of trustee fiduciary duties under 20 U.S.C. § 76l, ultra vires action by the board, violation of Beatty’s participation rights (she said she was muted each time she tried to object during the December 18 vote), a claim under the Administrative Procedure Act, and a request for a mandamus order forcing removal of the new signage.3Rep. Joyce Beatty. Beatty v. Trump, Complaint
In March 2026, Beatty filed an amended complaint that broadened the case to two more actions taken by the reconstituted board: a May 2025 bylaw change stripping ex officio trustees of voting rights, and the plan announced by Trump on February 1, 2026, to close the Kennedy Center around July 4, 2026, for two years of construction estimated at $200 million.4Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Beatty v. Trump5New York Times. Trump Kennedy Center Closure Announcement
Why the Renaming Was Illegal
The Kennedy Center exists by act of Congress. It was created in 1958 as the National Cultural Center and redesignated in 1964 as a living memorial to President Kennedy, and its governing statute names it the “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” and declares it the “sole national monument” to Kennedy in the Washington, D.C., area.6GovInfo. John F. Kennedy Center Act, Public Law 85-874 Federal law also bars additional memorials or plaques in the center’s public areas, with narrow exceptions.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 20 U.S.C. § 76h Et Seq.
Judge Cooper issued a permanent injunction against the new name. “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” he wrote, finding that the statute “makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy.”8CNBC. Trump Kennedy Center Judge Beatty He rejected the administration’s argument that adding Trump’s name was a mere “secondary name” rather than an additional memorial, calling that distinction “chicanery.”9The Well News. Beatty v. Trump Opinion The order required removal of all physical and digital signage bearing Trump’s name within 14 days, withdrawal of pending “Trump Kennedy Center” trademark applications, and a sworn filing certifying compliance.10Rep. Joyce Beatty. Court Reverses Unlawful Renaming and Halts Shutdown of Kennedy Center
The Blocked Closure
Cooper also granted a preliminary injunction blocking the board’s March 16, 2026, vote to shut the building down in early July. He did not prohibit future closures or block routine maintenance. He blocked this closure, on this record, because of how the board reached the decision.9The Well News. Beatty v. Trump Opinion
The board’s process, Cooper wrote, “fell below even a forgiving standard of prudence,” and he described the closure vote as “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.”11PBS NewsHour. Judge Says Kennedy Center Board Violated Law Putting Trump’s Name on Building, Blocks Closure He faulted trustees for relying on the recommendation of Matt Floca, the center’s new chief operating officer and executive director, noting that Floca was “no legal expert” and that his analysis “entirely sidelined programming concerns.”12Law Dork. Federal Judge Ends Kennedy Center Name Change Any new closure decision, the court said, must be made “anew after independently balancing” the board’s statutory obligations “in a prudent fashion.”9The Well News. Beatty v. Trump Opinion
The center’s own budget submission to Congress had proposed a phased renovation, not a full shutdown, and a 2021 engineering review had identified 323 capital projects estimated at about $252 million, of which roughly $45 million had already been completed.13The Conversation. Trump Wants to Shutter the Kennedy Center for 2 Years
Voting Rights Restored for Ex Officio Trustees
Cooper permanently enjoined the board from stripping ex officio members of their voting rights. The Kennedy Center’s board includes roughly 36 presidentially appointed trustees along with ex officio members drawn from Congress, the executive branch, and local government, and federal law draws no distinction between the two groups’ powers.3Rep. Joyce Beatty. Beatty v. Trump, Complaint The May 2025 bylaw amendment had removed the ex officio trustees’ votes and excluded them from counting toward a quorum, leaving decisions in the hands of the Trump-appointed members.14SAN. Bylaw Changes Shifted Kennedy Center Voting Power Before Name Change Cooper held that removing those votes violated common-law trust principles embedded in the statute.12Law Dork. Federal Judge Ends Kennedy Center Name Change
An earlier temporary restraining order on March 14, 2026, had already forced the administration to produce renovation-related documents and to allow Beatty to participate in the board meeting scheduled two days later. Cooper had signaled then that the bylaw change was “likely void,” though he stopped short of ordering that Beatty be allowed to vote at that specific meeting, permitting her instead to place her objections on the record.15CNN. Kennedy Center Trump Renovation Joyce Beatty Lawsuit
The Name Comes Down
The administration appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and asked for an emergency stay of the signage-removal order. A panel of Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins, and Gregory Katsas denied the stay on June 12, 2026, letting the 14-day deadline stand.16The Hill. Appeals Court Denies Kennedy Center Trump Name
The Kennedy Center narrowly missed the 11:59 p.m. Friday deadline, citing thunderstorms, and the court granted a brief extension to noon Saturday. Crews began pulling the lettering from the facade around 3 a.m. on June 13, 2026. Floca then filed a legal certification that all physical signage under the new name had been taken down.17The Guardian. Trump Name Removed From Kennedy Center Facade18Washington Post. Kennedy Center Removes Trump’s Name From Building The center later reported “full compliance,” including removal of Trump’s name from its website, promotional materials, employee email signatures, letterhead, and contracts.19Bloomberg Law. Kennedy Center Loses Bid to Halt Order to Remove Trump’s Name
Trump reacted on Truth Social by saying he would abandon the renovation plans and turn the institution over to Congress. “Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing,” he wrote, adding that he had directed the Department of Commerce to arrange a “full and complete transfer” of the center to Congress.20Variety. Trump Slams Judge, Name Removed, Kennedy Center Transfer to Congress Beatty said “the Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.”21U.S. News & World Report. US Judge Orders Removal of Trump’s Name From Kennedy Center
Where the Case Stands
As of mid-June 2026, the litigation is still active on two tracks. In the district court, cross-motions for summary judgment are pending before Judge Cooper.4Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Beatty v. Trump In the D.C. Circuit, briefing continues on whether Cooper’s order should be stayed for the duration of the appeal, with Beatty’s response due June 22 and the administration’s reply due June 29. The panel has not ruled on the merits of the stay.22Jurist. Kennedy Center Removes Trump’s Name From Building Following Court Order
For the moment, the practical results of Beatty’s lawsuit are these: Trump’s name is off the Kennedy Center, the July 2026 closure has been blocked, and ex officio trustees have their votes back.