Nine members of the Kennedy family on Tuesday asked a federal judge in Washington for permission to join the legal battle against President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch, arguing the structure would cast a shadow over some of their relatives’ graves.The Kennedys said that the arch’s planned location in the nation’s capital would also obstruct the clear sightline from the John F.
Kennedy Eternal Flame memorial across the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, which the family called “an essential element” of the design.The high-profile request once again pits one of the most storied families in American history against Trump.The two sides have also sparred over the president’s attempt to remake the Kennedy Center.
Trump closed the arts institution after a judge blocked him from adding his name to the building.The Kennedys asking to join the suit include seven of Robert F.
Kennedy’s living children — all except for Health Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr.
— among others.In a statement, Rory Kennedy and Maxwell Kennedy said the request was about “protecting sacred spaces,” adding that they believed Trump had “violated the laws and procedures established by Congress to protect this most sacred national memorial.”“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, undermining the safeguards established by our elected representatives to protect this hallowed ground for generations to come,” the statement said.The District of Columbia and Virginia, as well as Vietnam War veteran and former U.S.
ambassador Michael Lemmon, had sued over the project.The Kennedys asked to join both suits, arguing they have a “direct, immediate stake in this matter and claims that share common questions of law.” The arch is set to be built on Memorial Circle, located between Arlington N...