{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/new-lawsuit-challenges-illegal-renaming-of-the-kennedy-center", "New Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Renaming of the Kennedy Center", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Joyce Beatty", "B001281", "beatty.house.gov", "beatty", "https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Joyce Beatty today sued President Trump and others to stop the unlawful renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the Congresswoman in her capacity as an ex officio trustee of the Kennedy Center by Democracy Defenders Action and the Washington Litigation Group. Congresswoman Beatty participated in the recent Board meeting and alleges she was prevented from speaking when she attempted to object to the renaming.\n\n\u201cOnly Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center. President Trump and his cronies must not be allowed to trample federal law and bypass Congress to feed his ego,\u201d said Congresswoman Beatty. \u201cThis entire process has been a complete disgrace to this cherished institution and the people it serves. These unlawful actions must be blocked before any further damage is done.\u201d\n\nShortly after President Kennedy\u2019s assassination, Congress designated the Kennedy Center as the sole national memorial within the nation\u2019s capital to the late President. The lawsuit argues that because Congress named the center by statute, changing the Kennedy Center\u2019s name requires an act of Congress.\n\nThe suit follows a December 18, 2025 announcement that the Board had voted to rebrand the Kennedy Center with President Trump\u2019s name, and the rapid installation of new exterior signage and related digital branding changes the next day. The lawsuit contends that the Board\u2019s action is legally void and damages the institution\u2019s public mission by turning a national memorial into a political vanity project.\n\n\u201cThe President and his sycophants have no lawful authority to rename the Kennedy Center,\u201d said Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.), founder of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky, Senior Counsel at Washington Litigation Group. \u201cCongress named the Kennedy Center as a national memorial to President Kennedy, and only Congress can change that. We are proud to represent Congresswoman Beatty as she defends the integrity of this institution and the separation of powers.\u201d\n\nThe lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asks the court to declare the Board\u2019s renaming vote unlawful and without legal effect, order removal of the physical and digital signage and branding changes, restore the Kennedy Center\u2019s lawful name, and prevent further attempts to rename it without congressional authorization.\n\nThe lawsuit can be found HERE.\n\n###\n\nDemocracy Defenders Action brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://beatty.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/new-lawsuit-challenges-illegal-renaming-of-the-kennedy-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9380348492413759, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}