Federal judge freezes Trump's 250ft arch before work begins
A 14-day pause was ordered after the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 to approve the structure near Arlington National Cemetery.
By Matthew Qureshi ·
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, halting all construction on President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington DC. The ruling imposes a 14-day freeze on the project, overriding the Trump administration’s previous statement that work could commence as soon as Thursday.
The decision arrives after the National Capital Planning Commission completed a nine-hour hearing on Thursday. Commission members voted 8-4 to approve the arch, a move opposed by dozens of witnesses who spoke against the construction during the session.
Legal challenges to the arch have accumulated since the project was introduced. A group of Vietnam war veterans filed a lawsuit in February, arguing that the structure would obstruct the view between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. In court documents, the veterans described this line of sight as "carefully designed to symbolise the unification of the country after the Civil War and the strength of a united nation."
Trump first proposed the arch last year to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. He has compared the design to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which was built in 1836. The structure is planned for a site adjacent to the cemetery where war veterans are buried.
The arch is part of a wider set of Washington DC projects under the current administration. On Friday, Trump signed a proclamation designating his Oval Office and Cabinet room as a national monument. Several judges have blocked other proposals in the past, and the recent midterm election results have given Democrats control of Congress, a shift that may increase scrutiny on these initiatives.
