Kennedy family joins federal lawsuits to block Trump's planned DC arch

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (OPA) — Nine members of the prominent Kennedy family filed a motion to intervene and an accompanying complaint in two existing federal lawsuits seeking to block the construction of the monument. The proposed project sits near the final resting places of former Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, who are buried alongside their brother, former President John F. Kennedy, and the adjacent Eternal Flame at Arlington National Cemetery.

Legal counsel for the family, led by veteran Washington lawyer Norm Eisen and the Democracy Defenders Fund, submitted the filings on Tuesday. The complaint contends that the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior authorized the structure without required congressional approval. Furthermore, the filing asserts the megastructure would destroy the century-old line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House.

The high-profile intervention expands an existing roster of plaintiffs challenging the polarizing project, including Vietnam War veterans, historians, and the governments of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Arlington County. Last week, District Judge Tanya Chutkan prohibited the administration from breaking ground on the structure for 14 days amid the unfolding litigation.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Rory and Maxwell Kennedy stated the legal action aims to protect sacred spaces belonging to the American public. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an estranged member of the family and a Trump administration appointee, did not join the litigation.