Plaintiffs suing to stop President Donald Trump's planned triumphal arch along the Potomac River asked a federal judge on Thursday to halt all construction plans. They filed one day after the National Park Service signaled it could begin work Nov. 5 1.
The plaintiffs are three veterans and a retired architectural historian. They asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to bar the administration from building anything at Memorial Circle without congressional authorization while the lawsuit continues 12.
What the government told the court
The Park Service and the Executive Office of the President filed a notice Wednesday saying construction could start as early as Nov. 5. That depends on the National Capital Planning Commission approving the site and building plans. The commission meets that day 1.
The notice listed other steps too. The Interior Department must issue a final decision authorizing construction, and proper public notice must be published 1.
From Channel GOPTrump says he alone decides who gets paidDonald Trump · 121 plays · captioned, with the source named
NPS may publish such notice as early as November 5, 2026, and construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026,
The plaintiffs say that notice shows the government does not plan to wait for the court. Their filing says the defendants “have no intention of awaiting this court's decision on the cross-motions for summary judgment” 1. A summary judgment motion asks a judge to decide a case without a full trial. Those motions were fully briefed by mid-July, and the docket shows no ruling yet 2.
The legal fight
The plaintiffs argue the project needs approval from Congress. The arch has received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all picked by Trump 1. Their complaint also says the administration skipped required historic preservation and environmental reviews 2.
Public Citizen Litigation Group, one of the legal groups representing the plaintiffs, pointed to other administration projects that moved ahead despite pending lawsuits 1.
Chutkan ordered both sides to meet and file a briefing schedule by noon Friday 1. She has already ordered notice before work starts. A Sept. 4 order says construction or demolition in preparation for construction without 14 days' notice would violate it 2.
A second lawsuit, and a bigger pattern
A separate suit comes from the Arlington County Board in Virginia. It was filed earlier this month in the Eastern District of Virginia. It is the first lawsuit by a government body against the planned monument, and it criticizes how fast the project has moved without a full review 1.
The structure is planned to be 250 feet tall. Trump has said it might include national security functions such as drones and snipers. The plans the Interior Department sent to the planning commission do not mention the “military complex” he described, though the agency said the design could accommodate one 1.
The arch is one of several Washington projects Trump is pursuing. Others include renovating a public golf course and threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This week, plaintiffs in the East Potomac Park golf course case argued in a five-hour hearing that construction plans were coming despite pending litigation 1.
What happens next: Chutkan must decide whether to grant the request before the planning commission meets Nov. 5. That is two days after the Nov. 3 midterm election. Whatever she decides, the question of who has the power to build on public land in the capital is now in front of a federal court 1.
The Record
- A first request to block the arch was denied without prejudice by consent order in Judge Chutkan's court 2.
- Chutkan ordered 14 days' notice before construction or demolition for the arch begins 2.
- The Park Service and the Executive Office of the President told the court construction could start as early as Nov. 5 1.
- Plaintiffs asked Chutkan to prohibit any construction at Memorial Circle while the case continues 1.
Sources
- ABC News (AP), “Plaintiffs in Trump arch project seek injunction to stop administration from beginning work Nov. 5” (2026-10-23). abcnews.com/US/wireStory/plaintiffs-trump-arch-project-seek-
- Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, “Case: Lemmon v. Trump” (2026-10-06). clearinghouse.net/case/47841
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
