Democratic Representative from Ohio Joyce Beatty filed a lawsuit on Monday against US President Donald Trump demanding the removal of his name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, after the board of directors approved renaming the venue with the president's surname first.
The lawsuit, which also names board members appointed by Trump, argues that last week's vote was illegal, as the law requires any change to the building's name to be expressly approved by Congress and cannot be decided solely at an administrative level.
The congresswoman's lawyer told US media that the name change "violates the Constitution and the rule of law," emphasizing that it was Congress that officially established the cultural center's name.
A senior White House official told The New York Times last week that the administration rejects that legal interpretation and does not expect Congress to intervene to reverse the board's decision.
The president's name was added to the building's facade on Friday, and the website and several official social media accounts already refer to the Trump Kennedy Center.
Congresswoman Beatty denounced that she was silenced during the meeting where the change was approved and reiterated that "only Congress has the authority to change the name of the Kennedy Center," calling the process "a complete disgrace" to the institution.
