WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Joyce Beatty, a Democratic lawmaker from Ohio, filed a motion asking a federal judge to force the Kennedy Center to block and reverse efforts to attach President Donald Trump's name to the historic performing arts venue. The motion argues that Congress intended the Kennedy Center to be named only for the late President John F. Kennedy.

Trump's handpicked board of directors voted in December to rename the Kennedy Center as the Trump-Kennedy Center. The board argued that the Republican president deserved recognition for his efforts to renovate the institution. A day after the board's December decision, Trump's name was added to the Kennedy Center's facade.

The Kennedy Center's name change has been reflected on its website and social media channels. The Kennedy Center was named for President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963.

"We are asking the court to enforce the law and reverse this illegal renaming," said Norm Eisen, board member at Democracy Defenders Action. "This abuse of power is an attack on the rule of law and the memory of John Kennedy and cannot stand."

The board's decision drew protests from Democrats and some members of the Kennedy family. The board's decision led scholars and historians to question its legal permissibility.

The motion states that Congress was particularly sensitive to having no names on the Center's exterior walls other than signage designating it as a memorial for President Kennedy. Through her position in Congress, Beatty is an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center's board.

A federal judge ruled earlier this month that Beatty could participate in a board meeting but did not force the board to allow her to vote on the closure. A coalition of eight cultural and historic preservation groups is suing to block further physical changes to the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 and is located on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center will close for renovation this summer, with the renovation expected to last about two years.