A federal judge blocked construction of President Donald Trump’s 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington late Thursday, less than an hour after a planning commission gave the project its final approval.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order that bars the administration from starting any construction-related work at Memorial Circle for 14 days. The order covers excavation, demolition, land disturbance, utility installation and road closures at the site.
The National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 to approve the project on Thursday night, after more than eight hours of public testimony. More than 120 people spoke, many of them veterans, and most urged the panel to reject it.
The administration had told the court it could begin excavation the same day. The Interior Department said within half an hour of the vote that it would move ahead.
Chutkan ruled in favour of the District of Columbia and Virginia, which sued on October 31 to stop the work. She found they are likely to succeed in arguing that the project needs congressional approval. Three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian filed the original challenge in February.
The arch would stand at Memorial Circle, on the west end of Arlington Memorial Bridge, near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. The National Park Service says the monument will honour the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Justice Department has said construction would take 33 to 39 months, with excavation and foundation work filling the first six to eight months.
Chutkan ordered the government to file a status report by Monday certifying that it has complied with the order. The court still has to decide whether to block construction for the full length of the litigation.
Source: CNN
