The attorneys general for the District of Columbia and Virginia, Brian Schwalb and Jay Jones, filed a joint federal lawsuit on Oct. 31 against the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior to stop the proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle.

The complaint argues the monument is "flagrantly unlawful," nearly doubling the District's 130-foot building height limit and lacking mandatory congressional approval. Federal planners could approve the project on Nov.

5, and the lawsuit claims construction could begin that same day.

The administration plans to seek final approval at Thursday's National Capital Planning Commission meeting and possibly begin construction the same day, despite the lawsuits pending, so the pace of the government's timeline is the story's flashpoint.

Judge Tanya Chutkan asked what the urgency was, and how the government would be harmed "apart from the executive's desire to bedazzle the city" if she issued a preliminary injunction. Administration lawyer Robert Stander called the arch "absolutely a high priority project."

According to FOX 5 DC, the 46-page complaint says two-to-three years of construction will close portions of Memorial Circle, cut Memorial Bridge to two westbound lanes and impede emergency evacuation routes, while the 250-foot arch and its 320-foot construction cranes would sit near the Reagan National Airport approach.

FOX 5 DC also reports the suit flags plans to house drones and ammunition at the arch, threats to two endangered bat species and blocked sightlines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House. The AP reports the arch would be 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty from base to torch.

The government submitted a 106-page plan envisioning a structure more than 12 stories high with a bronze winged Lady Liberty statue, an observation deck, two mezzanines, offices, multiple elevators and a "fire command center."

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the arch will be a gateway to Arlington National Cemetery, and Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago it is "very important militarily" and "the most beautiful arc ever built."

The lawsuits also cite concerns about emergency response in a region where a January 2025 midair collision killed 67.

Judge Chutkan consolidated the new lawsuit with the original suit brought by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian, and ordered a joint briefing schedule; all plaintiffs seek a temporary restraining order to halt work.

She held a hearing Friday without ruling, saying she would move expeditiously. The National Capital Planning Commission reviews final site and building plans in a virtual meeting Nov.

5 at 1 p.m. It is not yet known whether a judge will grant an injunction, and the federal government has not formally responded in court.