Kennedy family seeks court order to block Trump's 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery

WASHINGTON, DC: Nine members of the Kennedy family have reportedly joined a legal challenge seeking to block President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing that the structure would obstruct views of family gravesites and other memorials.

In a court filing submitted on Tuesday, November 10, relatives of the late former President John F Kennedy and his brothers said the monument would interfere with historically significant sightlines and affect the cemetery’s commemorative landscape.

The family is now seeking to join an existing lawsuit against the Trump administration as plaintiffs.

Kennedy family challenges Trump's 250-foot triumphal arch

The nine family members, including children and grandchildren of former Attorney General Robert F Kennedy and former Senator Edward M Kennedy, argued that the proposed structure would block views of the Kennedy family gravesites and the Eternal Flame marking President John F Kennedy’s grave.

The family said that the project would “permanently cast a shadow over the graves of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, including the Kennedy Gravesites.”

In the court filing, they also argued that the arch’s scale and location would damage the existing design of the memorial area.

The proposed structure would stand at Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial, along an axis between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The family described the structure as more than twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial and comparable in height to a 25-storey office building.

They said its placement would obstruct a sightline intended to represent national unity following the Civil War, which has remained in place for nearly a century.

Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy, two of the family members involved in the challenge, said the project would affect not only their relatives’ graves but also the wider cemetery.

In a joint statement, they said, "Americans from every corner of the country visit Arlington to honor those who served and sacrificed for our nation," adding that a towering arch casting shadows over the graves of their family members and others who served would also cast a shadow over democratic principles.

The family is joining a lawsuit filed by Washington, DC, and Virginia. Several Vietnam War veterans, preservationists and Arlington County have also challenged the project.

Judge halts construction of Trump's proposed arch

The proposed arch is part of a series of construction and renovation projects promoted by Trump in and around Washington.

The administration has said the monument would commemorate 250 years of American independence and has expressed confidence that the project will proceed.

The National Capital Planning Commission approved the plans last week, despite objections raised during a public hearing.

However, District Judge Tanya Chutkan subsequently barred the administration from undertaking any construction-related activity near the proposed site for 14 days.

The plaintiffs have sought a longer-term injunction.

The government has maintained that the project does not violate the law and argued that the plaintiffs lack legal standing to challenge it.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said last week that “we are confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds and look forward to seeing the completion of this magnificent Arch, a tribute to 250 years of American greatness."