Nine members of the Kennedy family are seeking to join existing legal challenges to President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing that it would affect views of family graves and veterans’ memorials.
The family’s court filing says the structure would cast shadows over gravesites and alter the experience of visiting them. Those claims have not been established by a court. The BBC reported that the Kennedy members are asking to intervene in lawsuits seeking to stop construction.
The group includes seven children of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, former Democratic congressman Joe Kennedy, their grandson, and Edward Kennedy Jr., the son of Ted Kennedy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who leads the Department of Health and Human Services, is not among them.
The legal challenges also include a case brought by Virginia and Washington, DC, as well as suits by conservationists and veterans. The Kennedy family argues that the arch would damage historically significant sightlines to graves and memorials at the cemetery.
Construction paused while lawsuits proceed
The National Capital Planning Commission approved the project last week. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan then ordered a 14-day pause before work could begin while litigation continues. The Kennedy filing says the National Park Service and Interior Department authorized construction on November 5 without the required congressional approval.
The White House called it “unfortunate” that members of the family had joined the litigation, saying the arch was intended to honor those buried at Arlington. Spokesman Davis R. Ingle said the administration would continue to defend the project and was confident it would be vindicated.
Trump’s proposed arch is intended to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary. The Kennedy family’s request to join the cases does not itself cancel the project, and the court’s temporary pause remains in place as the legal disputes proceed.
Reid Bentley 
Nicole French