The District of Columbia and Virginia have sued to block President Donald Trump’s planned 250 foot triumphal arch, filing a federal lawsuit on Saturday that calls the project unlawful and asks a court to stop construction before it starts.
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones sued the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior. It calls the project “flagrantly unlawful” and “legally indefensible”, according to reports, and seeks a court order barring any building work.
The arch would stand at Memorial Circle, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, rising 250 feet, about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. The administration says it would mark the country’s 250th anniversary, with ground possibly broken as early as November 5.
What the lawsuit argues
At the heart of the case is authorisation. The suit argues Congress must approve such a monument on federal land in the capital, and no such approval has been given. It also argues that the arch would nearly double the 130 foot height limit for buildings in Washington.
The suit warns that years of construction at a major crossing would snarl traffic, slow emergency vehicles and pollute the Potomac with stormwater runoff. “As soon as defendants break ground on this project, they will inflict irreparable harm on both the District and Virginia,” the suit says. It joins other courtroom tests, including a Supreme Court ruling on a Trump-backed Missouri map.
A race against the calendar
Saturday’s filing is the third lawsuit against the arch. The first came in February from three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian, who argued it would block the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington County followed on October 8, citing harm to residents, traffic and public safety.
District Judge Tanya Chutkan is overseeing the first case. At a hearing on Friday she deferred an immediate ruling on freezing construction plans, while signalling a swift decision, according to reports. She had previously ordered 48 hours notice before any building related activities.
The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to decide final plans on November 5, with construction possibly beginning the same day. On Friday it unveiled a 106 page proposal: a 12 storey structure with a winged bronze Lady Liberty lifting an eternal flame, two mezzanines, an observation deck, offices and a fire command centre.
Timing is central to the plaintiffs’ case: they argue the administration is rushing to break ground so a court must then halt work already under way, an attempt, they say, to outrun judicial review. It follows other legal pressure, including lawmakers asking a watchdog to sue the administration over withheld funds. Whether the courts act before November 5 will decide if the arch stays a proposal or becomes a building site.
