Nine members of the Kennedy family have joined the legal fight against President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery. They argue it would cast a shadow over the graves of President John F. Kennedy and other family members buried there.
In a motion filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, the family members asked to join a lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia to stop the project. “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 filing reads.
The plaintiffs are seven children of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy: Rory Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Courtney Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy II. They are joined by RFK’s grandson, former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, and by Edward M. Kennedy Jr., son of Sen. Ted Kennedy. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves in the Trump administration, is not among them.
“A towering arch casting shadows across the graves of our father, mother and uncles, as well as the graves of so many who have served our country, would also cast a shadow over our democratic principles,” Rory and Maxwell Kennedy said in a statement on behalf of the family. “Only Congress has the constitutional power to authorize an intrusion of this magnitude.”
The gilded arch would stand in Memorial Circle, at the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial and at the approach to the cemetery. The administration says it would commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Trump has said he wants it completed before he leaves office.
According to the lawsuit, the National Park Service and the Interior Department approved the project on November 5 without the authorization from Congress that is required for commemorative works in the capital. Last week, the National Capital Planning Commission, made up largely of Trump appointees, gave the plans final approval. Shortly afterward, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order halting construction while the litigation proceeds, and said she was considering a longer block.
The arch faces other legal challenges. Several Vietnam War veterans have sued to stop it, and Arlington County has filed a separate suit. The county’s lawsuit targets Trump’s statement in September that the arch would also serve as a military facility for storing and deploying drones and positioning snipers. The county argues that this would endanger nearby commuters and tourists.
A White House spokesman called the Kennedy family’s move “unfortunate.” “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,” he said.
The arch is one of several projects Trump has pushed to reshape Washington. In December 2025, the board of the Kennedy Center, which Trump chairs, voted to add his name to the performing arts center named after the late president. In May, US District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the renaming was unlawful, writing that “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.” Trump’s name was removed from the building’s facade in June, about six months after it went up, and an appeals court has refused to let it be restored while Trump appeals.
