Kennedy family members join lawsuit to block Trump's Arlington memorial arch

Several members of the Kennedy family have joined a legal effort to prevent President Trump from building a large triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery, CBS News reported.

The family members, including children and grandchildren of Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, argued in court filings that the 250-foot-tall arch would block sightlines to the Kennedy gravesites and the Eternal Flame commemorating President John F. Kennedy, CBS News added.

They expressed concern that the arch would cast a permanent shadow over the graves of servicemen and women, including the Kennedys, and undermine protections for the hallowed ground, according to CBS News.

The Kennedy family members are seeking to intervene as plaintiffs in lawsuits opposing the arch, which also involve Vietnam War veterans suing the Trump administration, CBS News noted.

ABC News reported that the family filed a motion to intervene in two existing lawsuits and that a U.S. District Judge recently prohibited the Trump administration from breaking ground on the arch for 14 days.

The proposed arch, planned for a traffic circle near the Lincoln Memorial, is intended by the Trump administration to commemorate 250 years of American independence, CBS News said.

The White House and Justice Department had no immediate comment on the lawsuit filings, according to both CBS News and ABC News.