Nine Kennedy family members filed a motion to join a lawsuit seeking to halt President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery, The Independent reported Nov. 11. The motion alleges the structure would change the setting around Kennedy graves and limit views of the eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy’s burial site.
The Democracy Defenders Fund, which represents the relatives, says the arch would intrude on the cemetery and requires authorization from Congress.
The filing names seven of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s children, grandson Joe Kennedy and Edward Kennedy Jr., Ted Kennedy’s son. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is not named.
Virginia and Washington, D.C., brought the suit. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered a 14-day pause in construction-related work last week. Her order followed an 8-4 approval by the National Capital Planning Commission. EconoTimes previously reported on the 14-day pause in construction-related work.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told POLITICO the arch is intended to honor people buried at Arlington and criticized the lawsuit as politicizing the project. Chutkan is weighing whether to extend the pause.
