Joining lawsuit, Kennedy family members say Trump's arch would be 'denigration' of JFK, RFK plots at Arlington

Résumé détaillé

Nine family members of the Kennedy political dynasty asked a judge on Tuesday to block U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a towering memorial arch, saying the 250-foot (76-metre) structure would cast a shadow over their relatives' gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery.

The shadow would "fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the gravesites," the relatives argued. They filed a motion to intervene in two existing lawsuits seeking to block construction of the arch.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last week prohibited the Trump administration from breaking ground on the structure for 14 days.

The nine Kennedy family members who filed suit are children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, brothers of the slain U.S. president John F. Kennedy, both of whom served in the U.S. Senate. They are buried close to the eternal flame that marks JFK's gravesite, a trio of memorials that are a major draw for the millions of people who visit the Arlington cemetery each year.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois, speaks at a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed arch on Oct. 1 in Washington. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

Building the arch would be a "permanent denigration" of the gravesites, lawyers for the relatives wrote.

"The Arch would significantly damage the memorial to the Kennedys, as well as the heroes who eternally rest at Arlington National Cemetery," the filing said.

"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 honour our heroes who rest in Arlington Cemetery," said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle. "The judiciary should not be abused to politicize a structure designed to unite our nation."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's health and human services secretary, who has a fractured relationship with many of his relatives, did not join the lawsuit.

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