WASHINGTON - Nine family members of the Kennedy political dynasty asked a judge Tuesday to block President Donald Trump's plan to build a towering memorial arch, saying the 250-foot structure would cast a shadow over their relatives' gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery.
What we know:
The shadow would "fundamentally alter the experience of visiting the gravesites," the relatives argued. They filed a motion to intervene in two existing lawsuits seeking to block construction of the arch.
"According to a forensic study, the Arch will permanently cast a shadow over the Kennedy gravesites and the graves of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country," the motion reads.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan prohibited the Trump administration from breaking ground on the structure for 14 days just after the project got approval from a federal panel.
READ MORE | Judge halts Trump memorial arch for 14 days hours after commission approval
The nine Kennedy family members who filed suit are children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, brothers of the slain U.S. president John F. Kennedy, both of whom served in the U.S. Senate. They are buried close to the eternal flame that marks JFK's gravesite, a trio of memorials that are a major draw for the millions of people who visit the Arlington cemetery each year.
Building the arch would be a "permanent denigration" of the gravesites, and the Kennedy offspring "would never again be able to appreciate both sites as they always have before, and as the Kennedy family always intended," lawyers for the relatives wrote. They are represented by veteran Washington lawyer Norm Eisen and Democracy Defenders Fund.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's health and human services secretary who has a fractured relationship with many of his relatives, did not join the lawsuit.
The backstory:
The lawsuit comes after the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 to approve the project after hours of public testimony that mostly included opposition. Trump appointees hold a majority on the panel. They argued the arch will honor veterans, celebrate the nation and serve as a major tourist attraction.
The motion alleges the National Park Service and Department of the Interior took "unlawful steps" to begin erecting the Arch by granting final authorization on Nov. 5.
Crews were prepared to begin work on the site immediately after gaining the required approvals. Under the proposed schedule, construction would be year-round for 20 hours a day over more than three years.
The White House unveiled a new website to showcase the arch, which is slated to rise in a mass of gold ornamentation and stately gray granite between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
FOX 5 DC has contacted the White House for comment but has not yet heard back.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Associated Press and previous FOX 5 DC reporting.