Donald Trump’s plan to build a towering triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery was stopped by a federal judge just hours after his administration secured final approval for the project.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day temporary restraining order late Thursday, barring construction of the proposed 250-foot monument at Memorial Circle, near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.
The ruling came shortly after the National Capital Planning Commission approved the project in an 8-4 vote, despite hours of objections from veterans, local officials and residents.
In her 33-page opinion, Chutkan questioned whether the administration had the legal authority to proceed without congressional approval. She also challenged its newly emphasized claim that the arch was necessary for national security.
“The court appreciates the government’s significant interest in national security,” Chutkan wrote. “But these recent and unsupported attestations of security aspects of a structure that has been extensively discussed over the last year appear nowhere in the planning documents on which the project was reviewed and approved.”
The administration had argued that the arch could serve security purposes, including protection against drones. Those features, however, were absent from the plans reviewed by the commission.
The lawsuits, brought by Washington, D.C., Virginia, Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian, also challenge the project’s compliance with federal laws governing monuments and historic sites.
Chutkan found that allowing construction to begin immediately could cause serious disruptions to traffic and emergency services, along with significant costs for local governments.
“The harm is certain,” she wrote.
Opposition to the project was fierce even before the court intervened.
“The Great Gatsby party is over,” Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman said ahead of Thursday’s commission meeting.
“The arch is an illegal project. It’s a monstrosity. It’s a slap in the face to veterans and to the history and the aesthetics of this sacred place.”
Trump’s administration has defended the arch as a tribute to American history and military veterans. Supporters on the planning commission argued that it would become a landmark celebrating the nation’s identity.
But the legal fight is far from finished.
Chutkan’s order prevents construction for 14 days while the lawsuits proceed. The administration must also submit a compliance report to the court by Monday.
For now, Trump’s plans for one of Washington’s largest proposed monuments are on hold — despite having cleared the federal planning commission just hours earlier.
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