Kennedy Family Joins Lawsuit to Stop Trump’s Proposed Arlington Arch
A dispute over President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery has taken on a deeply personal dimension. Nine members of the Kennedy family have joined a lawsuit seeking to stop construction, warning that the monumental structure could obstruct views of the family’s gravesites and the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame.
Their move comes just five days after U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan temporarily blocked construction at Memorial Circle. The site sits between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, across the Potomac River and the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
The family members asking to join the case are Rory Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Courtney Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, Joseph P. Kennedy III and Edward M. Kennedy Jr. They are the children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy.
They seek to become additional plaintiffs alongside a group of Vietnam War veterans, the District of Columbia and Virginia.
In a six-page motion, the Kennedys repeated their concern that the arch would break the line of sight between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. That view follows the curved path of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, a design associated with the country’s reunification after the Civil War.
The family argues that the proposed structure could also change how visitors see the Kennedy gravesites from the bridge. They say the arch would block a meaningful view of the graves and the eternal flame, while casting a permanent shadow over the resting places of American service members.
“That will also obstruct the clear sightline of the Kennedy gravesites and JFK Eternal Flame in Arlington National Cemetery, from the Arlington Memorial Bridge, destroying an essential element of the gravesites’ design; and will permanently cast a shadow over the graves of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, including the Kennedy gravesites,” the family writes.
The gravesites are part of a larger section of Arlington’s history. John F. Kennedy is one of only two presidents buried at the cemetery; the other is William H. Taft. Kennedy is buried near his brother, Robert F. Kennedy, and former Senator Edward M. Kennedy, widely known as Ted Kennedy. Jacqueline Kennedy, the former First Lady, is buried beside the president.
For the family, the case is not simply about a new structure changing the Washington skyline. They say they have a particular responsibility to protect the place where several members of their family are buried, and to preserve its role as a solemn memorial.
“As members of the Kennedy family, intervenors have a particular interest in protecting the Kennedy gravesites, ensuring that these gravesites remain unimpeded as a solemn and sacred memorial to the legacy of the Kennedy family — including Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, each of whom served with honor and distinction and sacrificed greatly for their country,” the family writes.
The Kennedys also argue that their concerns are distinct from those raised by the lawsuit’s existing plaintiffs. In their view, the project could cause them specific harm that other parties in the case might not be able to raise.
Their attorney is Norm Eisen of the Democracy Defenders Fund.
The proposed arch has drawn criticism beyond concerns about the cemetery and its memorials. Opponents have also questioned whether a structure of that height could create additional complications in the busy airspace around Ronald Reagan National Airport.
That concern has taken on added weight since a fatal midair collision on Jan. 29, 2025, when a passenger airplane and an Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River. Critics say the location and height of the proposed arch deserve close scrutiny in a region where aircraft operate near the nation’s capital.
The arch is one of several major projects Trump has pursued during his second term as president. His plans have included changes at the White House, work involving the Lincoln Reflecting Pool, the East Potomac Golf Course and the Kennedy Center.
The White House ballroom now being built on the former site of the East Wing has been another major focus. So has Trump’s effort to close the Kennedy Center, which he has said faces substantial structural problems, and to place his name on the prominent arts institution.
Trump has sought to rename it the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center.” That proposal was initially blocked. He has also sought to include an inscription crediting himself for any restoration work.
In September, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the proposed inscriptions and Trump’s plan to close the center for two years for renovations. The judge rejected claims from the center’s board of trustees that the institution faced bankruptcy.
The arch proposal had already received a key approval before Judge Chutkan issued her temporary restraining order on Thursday. The National Capital Planning Commission, whose members were appointed by Trump, voted 8–4 to approve the project after a marathon hearing.
About 130 people signed up to speak against the arch. Still, commission chairman Mark Paoletta defended the plan and said the panel would move toward construction.
“President Trump’s historic vision for a monumental arch at Memorial Circle would complete a project over a century in the making, and honor our nation and her veterans, and provide the sacred ground of Arlington National Cemetery with the monumental gateway it deserves,” Paoletta said. “It would also represent a generational security opportunity to protect our nation’s capital.”
With the Kennedy family now seeking a place in the lawsuit, the case will weigh more than the arch’s design or its place in Washington. It will also examine what the proposed monument could mean for the cemetery’s sightlines, the graves of those buried there and the families who see those views as part of a lasting memorial.
