9 Kennedy family members ask to join a lawsuit to stop Trump’s 250-foot arch near Arlington, saying it would block the view of JFK’s Eternal Flame
Nine members of the Kennedy family filed court papers to join a legal fight against a 250-foot arch President Trump wants to build near Arlington National Cemetery, according to CBS. They argue it would ruin the view of the gravesites of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy, as well as the Eternal Flame. The arch is planned for a traffic circle across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.
President Trump has pushed for it to mark 250 years of American independence, much as he backed the attempt to add his name to the Kennedy Center. The administration hoped to break ground as early as this month. However, the plan faces legal challenges. The Kennedy family members are aiming to join as plaintiffs in a lawsuit already brought by Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Kennedy family members claim the project will “permanently cast a shadow over the graves of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, including the Kennedy Gravesites.” The arch would also “cast a shadow over our democratic principles” and undermine safeguards set by elected representatives, Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy said in a statement. A group of Vietnam War veterans is also suing over the project.
A federal judge has already put the arch on hold once
Opponents claim the administration skipped required legal steps and that the arch would block views between the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. The National Capital Planning Commission, which includes many of the president’s allies, voted to approve the plans last week. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan then paused construction for 14 days, finding the plan likely illegal. The plaintiffs are now pushing the court for a longer-term injunction to stop the work.
The administration expects to be “fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said last week. Government lawyers have argued the arch follows the law and that the people suing lack standing to bring the case. However, the Justice Department had not commented on the Kennedy filing.
This is not the first time the Kennedy family has pushed back against Trump’s changes to Washington landmarks. Kerry Kennedy and Joe Kennedy III are among those joining the lawsuit, and both opposed attempts to add the president’s name to the Kennedy Center. A federal judge later ordered the name removed, as only Congress can change it.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not join the Kennedy family’s arch lawsuit. Earlier this year, he told the outlet he wasn’t involved in the name change and didn’t recommend against it. “Of course, I understand it, but I have bigger fish to fry,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said of his relatives’ opposition.
JFK’s grave was designed to line up with the Lincoln Memorial
According to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the terrace around President Kennedy’s grave lies on the axis running from the Lincoln Memorial across Memorial Bridge to Arlington House. Jacqueline Kennedy lit the Eternal Flame at the funeral, and it now burns from a granite stone at the head of the grave.
Arlington House was once Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s home, while the Lincoln Memorial honors the Union’s wartime president. The filing argues the arch would block that line of sight, as it was meant to represent the country’s reunification after the Civil War. A National Park Service review reportedly found the arch could adversely affect up to 42 historic sites.
Judge Tanya Chutkan’s 14-day pause on construction is expected to lapse later this month unless she extends it or grants the longer-term injunction the plaintiffs have requested.
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