Judge blocks proposed 250-foot Washington arch for 14 days

Federal litigation and executive preservation orders collided in Washington, D.C. this week as U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day temporary restraining order blocking groundbreaking on President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot memorial arch just hours after an 8-4 federal planning commission vote, while the administration launched a promotional website for the structure on Friday and signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as a national monument.

Judge Tanya Chutkan Halts 250-Foot Arch Hours After 8-4 Commission Vote

Late Thursday night, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted a request from the District of Columbia and Virginia governments for a temporary restraining order prohibiting construction work on the proposed United States Military Triumphal Arch for at least 14 days and ordering the administration to provide at least 30 minutes' notice before any work begins, as reported by ABC7 News. Chutkan consolidated the governments' complaint with a lawsuit brought by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian arguing that the administration lacked congressional authorization.

The court order came hours after the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), chaired by Office of Management and Budget general counsel Mark Paoletta, voted 8-4 to approve the arch following testimony from roughly 130 registered speakers. During the hearing, California Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, challenged Paoletta's claim that Congress authorized the structure more than 100 years ago as part of the Memorial Bridge plan on Columbia Island, while Vietnam veteran and former foreign service officer Michael Lemmon testified that the 250-foot structure — more than twice the height of the 99-foot Lincoln Memorial — would disturb the tranquility of nearby Arlington National Cemetery. Justice Department attorneys also notified the court Thursday that a contractor had painted lines on the grass without National Park Service authorization ahead of a planned schedule of 20 hours per day of construction over 2 to 3 years.

White House Launches Arch Website and Declares Oval Office a National Monument

Despite the 14-day court freeze, the White House debuted a website on Friday showcasing renderings of the 250-foot (76-meter) gray granite and gold-ornamented arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, which carries cost estimates of up to $100 million and includes an upper event space, security observation decks, and inscriptions reading "One Nation Under God" and "Golden Age of America," according to KCBS Radio.

On Thursday, Trump also signed a proclamation designating the Oval Office, the outer Oval Office, and the Cabinet Room — where he noted new chandeliers were installed following the October 2025 East Wing ballroom demolition — as a national monument requiring congressional ratification and approval for major future modifications, as reported by ABC7 News.