Virginia, D.C. Seek Injunction on Arch

Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday to halt construction on President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch. The two jurisdictions argue that the project violates existing laws and will cause immediate physical harm to their infrastructure.

The 45-page complaint, submitted to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, describes the plan as flagrantly unlawful. The arch is designed to stand 250 feet tall, twice the height of the nearby Lincoln Memorial. It would be positioned between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial, a location that attorneys general Jay Jones of Virginia and Brian Schwalb of the District of Columbia say will snarl traffic.

Jones and Schwalb contend that the construction process has been hurried and preordained. They claim the defendants refused to adequately consult with either jurisdiction during the approval phase. The lawsuit asserts that both areas will incur severe and unrecoverable costs to assess and mitigate the harmful effects of the structure. The attorneys general warn that construction could begin as soon as next week.

The Trump administration first unveiled the arch plans in October 2025. Trump previously described the structure as a military complex intended to hold weapons and snipers, though the most recent blueprints under review by the National Capital Planning Commission omit those elements. The White House and the Interior Department did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkin ordered the parties to negotiate a briefing schedule for the motion for a temporary restraining order by Saturday evening. The court will now review the request to determine if it should stop the work pending a full hearing.