Nine members of the Kennedy family asked a federal judge on Tuesday to block President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot triumphal arch beside Arlington National Cemetery. The family says the monument would cast shadows over the graves of their relatives and block the view of John F. Kennedy’s Eternal Flame from Arlington Memorial Bridge.
The Kennedys filed a motion in federal court in Washington, DC, to join two existing lawsuits challenging the project. Their filing says the arch would permanently cast shadows over and damage historically significant sightlines to the family gravesites and the memorials of fallen service members.
The nine plaintiffs are children and grandchildren of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the brothers of President John F. Kennedy. They include Kerry Kennedy, Rory Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy Jr. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not join the filing.
The proposed arch would stand at Memorial Circle, between the Lincoln Memorial and the cemetery, at more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service says the monument will mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The Kennedys are represented by lawyer Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund. Their complaint says the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior broke federal laws governing commemorative monuments when they approved construction on November 5.
A federal judge has already paused the project. Judge Tanya Chutkan blocked construction for 14 days on November 5 while she weighs challenges brought by Washington, DC, and Virginia, along with earlier suits from veterans and preservationists. The court has not yet ruled on the Kennedy family’s request to join the case.
Source: CNN
