Nine members of the Kennedy family moved to join ongoing litigation on Tuesday, seeking to block the construction of a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch championed by President Donald J. Trump.
The legal filing aims to halt the project at the gateway of Arlington National Cemetery, arguing the structure would cast disruptive shadows over the gravesites of John F. Kennedy and other fallen service members.
The plaintiffs include seven children of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, their grandson, former Representative Joe Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy Jr. They join existing lawsuits filed by veterans, a historic preservationist, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Notably absent from the challenge is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who currently serves in the Trump cabinet as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The family’s complaint asserts the arch would create a permanent denigration
of the cemetery grounds. According to the filing, the Kennedy family members would never again be able to appreciate both sites as they always have before, and as the Kennedy family always intended
if the project proceeds. They further contend the structure would damage historically significant sightlines
at the cemetery.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the project, stating that the arch is intended to honor those buried at Arlington. 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,
Ingle said. The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation.
The Interior Department, which is managing the project, has challenged claims regarding the impact of the arch’s shadow. In a statement released last month, the department noted that their models indicate only a small section of the cemetery would be shaded for a brief period each year.
That period is less than an hour after sunrise, at which point shadows are very lengthened and distorted, and are mingled with the long shadows of trees,
the Interior Department stated.
The lawsuit, as reported by the Washington Post, alleges that “President Donald J. Trump is attempting to unlawfully erect a massive arch that will permanently cast shadows over and damage historically significant sightlines to the existing gravesites and memorials established in the Kennedy family’s honor at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as to the memorials of hundreds of thousands of fallen American heroes.”
This latest challenge follows a temporary block on construction issued by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, which remains in effect through November 20.
Members of the Kennedy family are seeking to intervene in the fight to block construction of a triumphal arch in Washington championed by Trump, saying it interferes with memorial gravesites of family members — including JFK’s eternal flame https://t.co/UlknXKEWwS
— Post by @business on X
Earlier coverage: Federal Panel Votes to Approve Trump Arch in D.C.
