A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of President Trump’s proposed triumphal arch in Washington, freezing work just hours after planners approved the project.
Judge Tanya Chutkan granted a 14-day restraining order sought by the District of Columbia and Virginia, barring excavation and related site activity.
Earlier Thursday, the National Capital Planning Commission approved final plans 8-4 for a roughly 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
Opponents argued the monument would disrupt solemn sightlines into Arlington and turn a memorial landscape into a presidential vanity project.
Veterans and Democratic lawmakers were among the most vocal critics during nearly nine and a half hours of public comment.
The White House denounced the order as the work of an “activist” court and said it expects to be vindicated as litigation continues.
With Democrats heading into congressional majorities, political pressure against the arch is expected to intensify even after the temporary order expires.
The fight joins other Trump building projects in the capital already facing legal and community resistance.
