Virginia and D.C. sue over Trump's planned arch
There are now three lawsuits calling for a halt to potential work on a monument that would rise 250 feet over Washington, D.C.
Key points
- D.C. and Virginia sued in federal court Saturday to halt Trump's planned 250-foot memorial arch.
- The arch would stand near the Potomac bridge linking the city to Arlington National Cemetery.
- Three lawsuits now seek to stop construction, which the administration says could start next week.
The District of Columbia and Virginia filed a federal lawsuit Saturday against President Trump's proposed memorial arch, adding a third legal challenge to the project. The administration has said construction could begin as early as next week.
The arch would rise 250 feet on a patch of grass near the bridge over the Potomac River that connects Washington with Arlington National Cemetery. That would make it 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty from base to torch.
Arguments in the lawsuit
Attorneys General Brian Schwalb of Washington, D.C., and Jay Jones of Virginia argue that breaking ground would cause "irreparable harm" to both jurisdictions. The suit says the site lies on a major traffic artery in the capital's monumental core, on an island straddling the Potomac.
During the three-year construction period, the lawsuit says, the project would snarl traffic, produce pollution and stormwater runoff, interfere with emergency services and pose other challenges. Like the original plaintiffs, the two states seek a temporary restraining order to slow the administration's plans.
Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, no other president has done more to beautify our Nation's interior than President Trump
— Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman
Court and project details
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is already considering an order to halt the project until the original lawsuit by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian is resolved. She held a hearing Friday but did not immediately act, saying she would move expeditiously.
The administration plans to seek final approval at Thursday's meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission and possibly begin construction the same day. On Friday, the government submitted a 106-page plan for a structure more than 12 stories high, including a bronze winged Lady Liberty statue with a torch and eternal flame, an observation deck and rooms inside.
