The District of Columbia and Virginia filed a Trump arch lawsuit in Washington on Saturday, asking a federal court to halt the proposed 250-foot memorial arch. According to ABC News US, the filing joins two earlier lawsuits against the project. The administration has said construction could begin as early as next week.
Attorneys General Brian Schwalb of Washington and Jay Jones of Virginia argue that construction would cause irreparable harm. According to ABC News US, they cite traffic snarls, pollution, stormwater runoff into the Potomac and interference with emergency services.
The arch would stand 250 feet (76 meters) on a grass patch off the bridge connecting Washington with Arlington National Cemetery. According to PBS NewsHour, it would be 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty measured to the top of its torch. The government submitted a 106-page plan on Friday for a structure more than 12 stories high. The plan includes a bronze Lady Liberty statue with an eternal flame and an observation deck.
The administration said it planned to seek final approval at Thursday’s National Capital Planning Commission meeting and possibly begin construction the same day, according to PBS NewsHour. White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the arch would be one of the most iconic landmarks in the world and a gateway to Arlington National Cemetery, according to ABC News US.
Judge Tanya Chutkan is hearing the original lawsuit, brought by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian. She has not yet ruled on whether to halt the project and deferred an immediate decision at a Friday hearing. At that hearing, she asked what urgency justified construction and how the government would be harmed "apart from the executive’s desire to bedazzle the city." Administration lawyer Robert Stander called the arch "absolutely a high priority project."
Al Jazeera reports that Arlington County filed a separate lawsuit on October 8, making it the first governmental challenge. The county argues the project would cause significant harm to residents and would likely require changes to nearby flight paths. Al Jazeera also reports that the lawsuit asks the court to require congressional authorization, a point not mentioned by the other sources.
The key facts in this report rely mainly on ABC News US, PBS NewsHour and Al Jazeera, and no independent reporting was checked. No ruling on a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction had been issued at the time of reporting, and the result of the Thursday planning commission vote was not reported. Al Jazeera reports that Trump earlier said the arch would include snipers and drone capabilities, but no other source confirms this, and officials have not described its military functions in detail. Beyond Ingle’s general statement, no specific response from the administration to the new lawsuit was reported.
Chutkan is expected to rule on whether to halt construction. She has also ordered a joint briefing schedule for the consolidated lawsuits. The planning commission is scheduled to consider final approval on Thursday.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.