Judge halts Trump memorial arch for 14 days hours after commission approval

ARLINGTON, Va. - A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from beginning construction on a planned memorial arch, halting work just hours after the project received approval.

The order bars the National Park Service from engaging in any construction-related activities on the arch for the next 14 days.

The ruling followed an 8-4 vote by the National Capital Planning Commission to approve the project after more than five hours of mostly oppositional public testimony. 

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Protest groups gathered at Memorial Circle to monitor and participate in the commission’s online meeting.

Trump appointees hold a majority on the panel and voted in favor, arguing the arch will honor veterans, celebrate the nation, and serve as a major tourist attraction. However, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who sits on the commission, questioned how those cultural goals aligned with the administration's claims of a national security purpose involving drones and snipers.

Construction crews had prepared to move onto the site immediately after securing required approvals and permits. Project plans specify the deployment of job site trailers, light towers, generators, tower cranes, forklifts, drill rigs, and concrete pumping systems.

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Under the proposed schedule, construction would operate year-round for 20 hours a day over more than three years.

The commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.