250-Feet: Kennedy Relatives Seek Injunction Against Trump's Memorial Arch
Nine descendants of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy filed a motion to intervene, arguing the planned structure would cast a shadow over their family graves at Arlington National Cemetery.
By Kevin Iyer ·
Nine Kennedy family members filed a legal motion on Tuesday to stop the construction of a 250-foot memorial arch planned for the National Mall.
The relatives, representing the children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, argued that the new structure would cast a shadow over their family gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery. They stated this shadow would fundamentally alter the experience of visiting those specific plots. The group is seeking to intervene in two existing lawsuits that aim to block the project's construction.
The legal action follows a ruling last week by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who prohibited the Trump administration from breaking ground on the arch for 14 days. The Kennedy relatives are buried near the eternal flame marking the grave of President John F. Kennedy. These sites are a major destination for the millions of visitors who go to Arlington each year.
Lawyers for the family, including veteran Washington attorney Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund, described the arch as a permanent denigration of the gravesites. They wrote that the offspring of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy would never again be able to appreciate the sites as they always have, which was the family's original intent.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who currently serves as the health and human services secretary, did not join the lawsuit. He has a fractured relationship with many of his relatives. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the filing.
The arch is one of several projects President Donald Trump has undertaken to alter the capital's appearance. Other initiatives include renovating a public golf course and threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The White House unveiled a new website last week to showcase the arch, which is designed with gold ornamentation and gray granite. It is slated to rise between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. These projects may face increased scrutiny after Democrats gained control of Congress in the midterm elections this week.
