Nine members of the Kennedy family asked a federal judge in Washington on Tuesday for permission to join the legal battle against President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot memorial arch, NBC News reported.
The family members argued the structure would cast a shadow over their relatives’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery and fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the site, according to NBC Chicago. The proposed location on Memorial Circle stands between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.
The Kennedys said that the towering arch would obstruct the clear sight line from the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame memorial across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, calling that view an essential element of the design. The arch is slated to stand more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial.
Shadows Over Hallowed Ground
The motion to intervene asks to join existing lawsuits filed by the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Vietnam War veteran and former U.S. ambassador Michael Lemmon. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order last week prohibiting the Trump administration from breaking ground on the structure for 14 days, shortly after a planning board with a majority of Trump-aligned members voted to approve it.
The family members asking to join the suit include seven of Robert F. Kennedy’s living children, alongside relatives of Edward M. Kennedy. Buried at Arlington within the affected area are President John F. Kennedy, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Sen. Ted Kennedy.
BREAKING: The Kennedy family has filed for an injunction against President Trump's arch, saying it would destroy the solemn memorial to the Kennedy family at Arlington National Cemetery, disrupting sightlines and casting a shadow over JFK + RFK graves. https://t.co/lLJMoXsrEN pic.twitter.com/nvD2XvprJI
“A towering arch casting shadows across the graves of our father, mother, and uncles, as well as the graves of so many who have served our country, would also cast a shadow over our democratic principles, undermining the safeguards established by our elected representatives to protect this hallowed ground for generations to come.”
That statement was issued jointly by Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy. They asserted that Trump had violated laws and procedures established by Congress to protect national memorials.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who maintains a fractured relationship with many of his relatives, did not join the lawsuit.
A Broader Capital Clash
The arch project is part of a broader series of redesigns and infrastructure undertakings advanced by the administration around Washington, including a public golf course renovation and threats to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, NBC Chicago reported. Those federal projects face potential scrutiny following midterm elections that gave Democrats control of Congress.
Represented by veteran Washington lawyer Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund, the nine family members argue they possess a unique legal interest in protecting the gravesites from a permanent denigration.
The White House defended the monument project through a statement issued by spokesperson Davis Ingle.
“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. The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation.”
“confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
