Nine members of the Kennedy family filed a motion Tuesday to join existing lawsuits seeking to halt construction of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery.

The relatives, including children and grandchildren of Sens. Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, argued that the arch would cast shadows over the Kennedy gravesites and obstruct sightlines to the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame from the Arlington Memorial Bridge. They described the project as a "permanent denigration" of the graves and said it would alter the experience for visitors to the cemetery, which holds memorials to hundreds of thousands of veterans.

The filing seeks to intervene in lawsuits brought by the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and several Vietnam War veterans. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day pause on construction last week while litigation continues.

The arch, intended to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, would stand on an axis between the Lincoln Memorial and the cemetery entrance. The Kennedy plaintiffs contend the structure exceeds the scale originally envisioned for the site and lacks necessary congressional approval.

The nine family members named in the motion are Rory Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Christopher G. Kennedy, Kerry Kennedy, Courtney Kennedy, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Joseph P. Kennedy II, Joseph P. Kennedy III, and Edward M. Kennedy Jr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration, is not a party to the suit.

The White House has described the project as a tribute to American heroes buried at Arlington. Construction had been slated to begin before the judge's temporary order.

The case remains pending in federal court in Washington.