Nine Kennedy family members sued on Nov. 10 to block President Donald Trump’s planned construction of a triumphal arch in the nation’s capital, saying it would cast shadows over their relatives’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump’s White House unveiled plans to build a 250-foot arch in Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, at the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington. It would feature a mezzanine at 166 feet, a 24-foot observation deck, and a 60-foot Lady Liberty statue on top.
Judge Tanya Chutkan, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, had temporarily blocked construction of the arch on Nov. 5, just hours after the National Capital Planning Commission approved the project in an 8–4 vote.
The ruling followed lawsuits filed by a group of Vietnam War veterans, the District of Columbia, and the state of Virginia. The Board of Arlington County, Virginia, also filed a separate suit to block the project.
The nine members of the Kennedy family have now joined the legal challenge. In a Nov. 10 court filing, the family said the arch would damage “historically significant sightlines” to their relatives’ memorials at Arlington National Cemetery and the memorials honoring fallen American heroes.
The plaintiffs included seven children of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and Ethel Kennedy and a grandchild, as well as the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) and RFK. The three are buried in Arlington Cemetery, near the grave of JFK, according to the suit.
“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,” Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy, two of RFK’s 11 children, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit on behalf of the family members.
The Kennedy family argued that the administration had not obtained the congressional approval required to start commemorative construction works in the nation’s capital.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times that the Kennedy family’s legal action was unfortunate.
“The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation. We will continue making the case for this beautiful and fitting monument and are confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds,” Ingle said.
Trump said on Sept. 20 that the proposed arch would also serve as a military facility capable of storing and deploying drones and positioning snipers, citing a request from the U.S. military for national security purposes.
The Arlington County Board in its Oct. 8 lawsuit argued that using the arch to store large stockpiles of ammunition and as a staging point for drones and snipers would increase the risk of accidents, given its proximity to commuters and tourists.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department told The Epoch Times at the time that the department “continues to follow all laws and regulations,” without elaborating further.
Chutkan issued a restraining order on Nov. 5, barring the administration for 14 days from carrying out “any construction, excavation, demolition, land-disturbance, utility-installation, or roadway-closure activity, or any other construction-related activity at or near Memorial Circle” related to the triumphal arch.
Tom Gantert contributed to this report.
