Kennedy Family Files to Join Motion to Block Construction of 250-Foot Trump Arch
November 13, 2026
Four Kennedys file personal declarations supplementing a motion to halt construction of a 250-foot arch that would obstruct sightlines and cast shadows over Arlington National Cemetery. The Trump administration did not secure congressional approval for the arch as required by law.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Kennedy family today moved to join pending motions seeking a preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from beginning construction of a 250-foot arch in Memorial Circle. The family is represented by Democracy Defenders Fund. A federal judge on Nov. 5 issued a 14-day temporary restraining order halting the administration’s plan to begin construction on the arch.
Rory Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Christopher Kennedy, and Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, children of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, submitted personal declarations detailing the concrete and irreparable harm the arch would cause to them and their family members and fellow plaintiffs, by obstructing sightlines and casting shadows over the Kennedy Gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery, the JFK Eternal Flame, and the sightlines that connect them to the Lincoln Memorial. The other plaintiffs include the Hon. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Joseph P. Kennedy II (children of Robert and Ethel Kennedy), the Hon. Joseph P. Kennedy III (a grandchild of Robert and Ethel Kennedy), and Edward M. Kennedy Jr., the son of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The nine family members filed a motion to intervene in the case on Nov. 10.
Their filings state the arch would obstruct the views the Kennedy family intended to preserve over John F. Kennedy’s gravesite, and it would cast a shadow over the graves of their parents and the fallen service members buried nearby.
The family’s filings join existing claims that the administration authorized the arch without the congressional approval required by the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 and other statutes. The family is asking the court to grant the pending preliminary injunction motions and block construction.
Read the motion.
Read Christopher G. Kennedy’s personal declaration
Read Kerry Kennedy’s personal declaration
Read Maxwell Kennedy’s personal declaration
Read Rory Kennedy’s personal declaration
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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
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