Kennedy family seeks court order to stop Trump’s planned arch near Arlington
Nine Kennedy family members are challenging the project, arguing that it would damage the setting of relatives’ graves and was authorized without required congressional approval.
By Larissa Bell ·
Nine members of the Kennedy family have asked a federal judge to halt the Trump administration’s proposed gilded arch, saying the structure would disrupt views of their relatives’ graves at Arlington national cemetery. Their lawsuit challenges the project’s authorization and argues that it threatens the character of the memorial grounds.
The planned triumphal arch, inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would be topped by a winged figure resembling Lady Liberty. According to the family’s complaint, its presence would obstruct sightlines at the Kennedy gravesites and significantly change visitors’ experience of the memorial. In a statement, the family warned that the consequences for the memorials could be permanent.
Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy, speaking for the family, linked their objections to both the graves’ surroundings and the protections governing the cemetery. They said an arch casting shadows over the burial places of their parents, uncles and others who served the country would also undermine democratic safeguards established to preserve the site for future generations.
The complaint also raises concerns about the view connecting the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House. It says the two landmarks were designed to face one another as a symbol of national reunification following the Civil War, and argues that the arch would interrupt that relationship. The family statement identified President John F Kennedy, Senator Edward Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy as relatives buried at Arlington.
At the center of the legal challenge is the allegation that the National Park Service and the US interior department approved construction without obtaining the necessary authorization from Congress. The plaintiffs want the court to overturn that approval and prevent construction. “This action is about protecting sacred spaces that belong to the American people,” the family said.
The lawsuit adds to existing legal obstacles for the project. On 6 November, US district judge Tanya Chutkan barred the administration from starting work for 14 days. The justice department has recently said the arch would not be finished before Donald Trump’s second term ends. Trump has claimed it would become a military complex, with space for drones and ammunition, as well as customized sniper facilities on its roof and plaza.
The arch is among several Washington projects pursued by Trump, alongside a renovation of a storied public golf course and a threat to demolish the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Those initiatives could face increased congressional scrutiny following Democrats’ gain of control of Congress.
