Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s arch #shorts
A federal judge temporarily blocked the construction of President Donald Trump’s Triumphal arch just hours after the project was approved by the National City Planning Commission.
The federal panel, which is now largely composed of Trump allies, approved the arch in a 8-4 vote late Thursday night. The vote came after hours of heated debate and more than 100 public statements largely against the arch.
Less than two hours later, U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a restraining order blocking construction for 14 days while she considers the arguments of military veterans, local D.C. and Virginia governments and others who have sued to stop the 250-foot tall project.
In the 33-page opinion, Chutkan said Trump officials’ arguments that the arch was necessary for national security were quote “unsupported.”
She also did not appear to buy the administration’s claim that the project was already approved by Congress in 1925 when a law passed approving two 166-foot columns in the area that were never built.
Plaintiffs have claimed the project is unlawful, disrespectful to those buried in nearby Arlington National Cemetery and would cause unavoidable harm to the area through traffic disruptions and environmental degradation.
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