Politics
Kennedy Descendants Sue to Block Trump's 250-Foot Arlington Arch, Citing Shadow Over Graves
Nine children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy filed a motion Tuesday to intervene in lawsuits against President Trump's planned 250-foot triumphal arch, arguing it would cast a shadow over the Kennedy gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery. A federal judge has already paused construction for 14 days.
Nine members of the Kennedy family asked a federal judge on Tuesday to block President Donald Trump's plan to build a 250-foot memorial arch near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing the towering structure would cast a shadow over the gravesites of their relatives and permanently alter how visitors experience them.
The relatives â children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, the brothers of slain President John F. Kennedy â filed a motion to intervene in two existing lawsuits challenging the arch's construction. They are represented by veteran Washington attorney Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund.
In court filings, the family members contended that the arch would be a "permanent denigration" of the burial sites and that they "would never again be able to appreciate both sites as they always have before, and as the Kennedy family always intended." The shadow, they wrote, would "fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the gravesites."
Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, both former U.S. senators, are buried near the eternal flame that marks President Kennedy's grave â a trio of memorials that draws millions of visitors to the cemetery each year.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last week barred the Trump administration from breaking ground on the project for 14 days, giving the court time to consider the legal challenges.
The White House pushed back on the family's move. "It is unfortunate to see that some members of the Kennedy family have joined the litigation against the Arch as the project is intended to honor our heroes who rest in Arlington Cemetery," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle. "The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation."
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a strained relationship with many of his relatives, did not join the lawsuit.
The arch is one of several Washington projects Trump has pursued as he reshapes the capital. The administration last week unveiled a website promoting the structure, which is slated to rise in gold ornamentation and gray granite between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The White House has said the monument is meant to honor the nation's 250th anniversary.
The project could face heightened scrutiny after Democrats won control of Congress in this week's midterm elections. Trump has also proposed renovating a prominent public golf course and has threatened to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The legal fight over the arch is unfolding against the backdrop of the Kennedy family's complicated relationship with the current president. While some relatives have joined the effort to stop the monument, the health secretary's absence from the suit underscores the family's political divisions.
A federal panel approved the arch project earlier this month, hours before Chutkan issued her temporary block. The National Park Service has backed the plan despite concerns about its impact on the District of Columbia's sightlines.