Judge halts Trump's 250-foot arch for 14 days, hours after planning panel's final approval

A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of President Trump's planned 250-foot triumphal arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, shortly after the National Capital Planning Commission gave the project its final approval in an 8-4 vote.

A federal judge late Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from beginning construction on President Donald Trump's planned triumphal arch in Washington, hours after a federal planning agency gave the project its final go-ahead. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled that the government cannot start any "construction-related activity" at the site for 14 days while legal proceedings continue.

In a 33-page ruling, Chutkan wrote that the plaintiffs, a group of Vietnam veterans along with the District of Columbia and Virginia, are likely to succeed in showing that the federal government did not follow required legal processes. She said the arch "appears to contravene" the Commemorative Works Act, which requires congressional authorization for new monuments on federal land in Washington. She also found that Virginia and D.C. likely have standing, citing "tangible economic harms" from traffic problems at the site, and directed the government to file a status report on Monday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (archive)

Final approval after a nine-hour hearing

The ruling came shortly after the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 on Thursday night to approve the final plans, following almost nine hours of public comment from members of Congress, veterans, architects and residents. The commission's executive director, Mark Paoletta, praised Trump's "historic vision," calling it the "grandest arch ever built by mankind." Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, called the project "illegal" and said it "would dishonor America, our ideals, and our laws."

The Justice Department had said in a court filing that construction could begin as soon as Thursday. In a separate filing, the administration said a construction company "may be — but is not necessarily — arranging off-site preparations for construction mobilization."

A 250-foot monument for America's 250th

The arch is meant to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and would stand in Memorial Circle, across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. According to documents filed with the planning commission, the structure would be 166 feet tall and topped with three gilded figures, a winged female figure flanked by two flying eagles, bringing its overall height to 250 feet. It would include an observation deck, and the administration estimates it could draw between 2,000 and 22,400 visitors a day. Construction is expected to take three years; the cost and who would pay for it remain unclear.

Opponents, including veterans' groups, argue the monument would overshadow the solemn link between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. "A dominating arch with a carnival-like atmosphere of tourists, food trucks and buses is abhorrent and insulting to those who gave all and to their families," Marine veteran Jimi Shaughnessy said at the hearing.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (archive)

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Judge halts Trump's 250-foot arch for 14 days, hours after planning panel's final approval