FACTS
Nine members of the Kennedy family have gone to federal court in Washington to stop construction of President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery, joining an expanding Trump arch lawsuit fight, ABC News reported. They argue the arch would block views of President John F. Kennedy’s grave and eternal flame and cast shadows on family gravesites. A federal judge has already paused construction for at least 14 days in a separate case brought by Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
What the Kennedy family’s Trump arch lawsuit claims
The family filed its complaint Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to ABC News. The plaintiffs include Rory Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy III, Edward M. Kennedy Jr. and Courtney Kennedy.
They argue that the National Park Service and the Interior Department approved the project without the congressional authorization it needs. They also say the arch would block the view of the Kennedy graves and the eternal flame from Arlington Memorial Bridge, and would permanently cast shadows over graves in the cemetery.
The complaint says the line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington has stood for nearly a century as a symbol of the country reuniting after the Civil War.
“This action is about protecting sacred spaces that belong to the American people,” Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy said in a statement for the family. “In bringing this lawsuit, we stand for those who cannot stand for themselves.”
Other challenges to the arch
The attorneys general of D.C. and Virginia have also sued, and three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian have filed a separate case, ABC News reported. In October, two federal judges held hearings on challenges to the arch and to a planned golf course at East Potomac Park, Stay Current News reported.
The arch would stand about as tall as a 25-story office building, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington. A federal planning panel gave the project final approval, and hours later U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan granted D.C. and Virginia a temporary restraining order.
In September, Trump said on social media that the arch was for national security at the Pentagon’s request and would serve as a “top-grade Military Complex.” The Pentagon declined to comment on that claim, according to ABC News.
“The court appreciates the government’s significant interest in national security,” Chutkan wrote. She added that the recent security claims “appear nowhere in the planning documents” for the project.
What the White House says
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called the family’s filing “unfortunate.”
“An activist district court has temporarily blocked the construction of the long-awaited Arch,” Ingle said in a statement to ABC News. “The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation.”
Ingle said the administration is “confident we will be fully vindicated as this litigation proceeds.” He described the arch as “a tribute to 250 years of American greatness.”
NPR also reported on the family’s filing. The cases remain pending in federal court in Washington.
