WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) today filed an emergency request to block the Trump administration’s  unlawful closure and demolition of the Kennedy Center, which President Trump announced last month. The filing seeks to halt the firings of employees, the canceling of performances and any other steps towards closing, demolishing or renovating the facility.

The filing separately requests the court grant a temporary restraining order to ensure that Congresswoman Beatty—who is a trustee—can participate in an upcoming March 16 meeting of the Kennedy Center Board, at which the trustees will discuss the President’s plan to close and potentially demolish the Kennedy Center.  The meeting will be held at the White House, but Congresswoman Beatty has not been invited, and was previously prevented from speaking at the Board meeting in December when the trustees purported to rename the Kennedy Center for Donald Trump.

“President Trump’s actions have been lawless. First he tried to rename the Kennedy Center after himself—in direct violation of the law that Congress passed and over my staunch objection.  Then, last month, he announced that he is closing the Kennedy Center. But he does not have the authority to do that either. Only Congress may close the Kennedy Center, and Congress has not done so,” said Congresswoman Beatty. “The stakes could not be higher. I am asking the Court to prevent President Trump from doing to the Kennedy Center what he did to the East Wing of the White House, just a few months ago.”

On February 1, 2026, President Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he will be shuttering the Kennedy Center starting this July. That announcement followed the publicly reported flight of artists and patrons, triggered by the unlawful effort to rename the Kennedy Center after Donald Trump. In his public remarks, President Trump has said he will reuse  “the steel” and “some of the marble” from the Kennedy Center, and build a“brand new” building—raising the specter that he will demolish this cherished institution.

“The President cannot unilaterally demolish the Kennedy Center. He cannot shut it down without congressional authorization, and he cannot silence dissenting voices on the Board—like Congresswoman Beatty—who are fighting to protect this beloved national treasure,” said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret), executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action and Nathaniel Zelinsky, Senior Counsel at the Washington Litigation Group. “We are asking the court to intervene quickly to prevent additional irreparable damage and the continued bypassing of Congress.”

In late December, Democracy Defenders Action (DDA) and the Washington Litigation Group sued President Trump and others on behalf of Congresswoman Beatty to stop the unlawful renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asks the court to declare the Board’s renaming vote unlawful and without legal effect, order removal of the physical and digital signage and branding changes, restore the Kennedy Center’s lawful name, and prevent further attempts to rename it without congressional authorization.

Today’s filings—which are part of that same case—can be found here. 

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Democracy 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.

The Washington Litigation Group is a nonpartisan team of attorneys dedicated to defending individuals and institutions that have been unlawfully targeted for exercising their legal rights and to fighting against governmental overreach.