Nine members of the Kennedy family filed a motion in federal court on Tuesday to block President Donald Trump’s planned 250-foot triumphal arch in Memorial Circle, arguing that the massive monument would cast shadows over Arlington National Cemetery and damage historic sightlines.
Kennedy Relatives Challenge Memorial Circle Arch
The family members joining the litigation include several children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, according to The Washington Post. Represented by attorney Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund, the relatives filed to intervene in existing lawsuits brought by Washington, D.C., and Virginia, alongside several veterans and preservationists.
In their court filing, the complainants contend that placing the arch on an axis between the Lincoln Memorial and the cemetery obstructs a design element created nearly a century ago to signify national unification after the Civil War.
Among those laid to rest at the historic cemetery are President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. The filing states that the project threatens the nearby resting place of multiple family members as well as the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame.
President Donald J. Trump is attempting to unlawfully erect a massive arch that will permanently cast shadows over and damage historically significant sightlines to the existing gravesites and memorials established in the Kennedy family’s honor at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as to the memorials of hundreds of thousands of fallen American heroes,
the family, via The Washington Post
Norm Eisen called the proposed structure an illegal interference with the cemetery. He maintained that only Congress holds the power to authorize an intrusion of that magnitude.
Court Intervenes as Planning Commission Approves Project
The legal filing arrived just days after the National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve final site and building plans on November 5 following a marathon public hearing. During that session, citizens voiced concern during the hearing.
Within an hour of the commission’s vote, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary order blocking any construction from starting. The 14-day restraining order pauses work through November 20 while the court weighs whether to grant a preliminary injunction.
Administration officials had notified the court that construction mobilization could begin as early as last week if the planning commission signed off and the Department of the Interior authorized the work. In her ruling, Judge Chutkan cited certain harms to the environment, traffic, and government costs, writing that the harm is certain.
Shadows Prompt Debate Over White House Design
An analysis of the proposed 250-foot structure indicated that its shadow would touch burial sites in the cemetery on 284 days over the course of a year, briefly covering the eternal flame on 18 days and shading the former president’s memorial on 50 days.
The Interior Department countered by releasing design models indicating that shadows would occur for a period that is less than an hour after sunrise, at which point shadows are very lengthened and distorted, and are mingled with the long shadows of trees.
White House officials defended the arch project, which President Trump has promoted as a monument to honor our heroes and celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. A spokesman criticized the court intervention while expressing regret over the family’s participation in the lawsuit.
It is unfortunate to see that some members of the Kennedy family have joined the litigation against the Arch as the project is intended to honor our heroes who rest in Arlington Cemetery. The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation.
Davis Ingle, White House Spokesperson, via The Washington Post
The spokesperson further emphasized that the monument should remain a symbol of national unity rather than becoming a subject of intense legal and political disputes, following decisions that set the project’s timeline for the 250th birthday.
