Virginia and D.C. Move to Halt Trump Arch Construction

Drivers between Arlington and the National Mall may soon face new bottlenecks as legal challenges mount over a proposed 250-foot triumphal arch. Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Saturday to stop construction on the structure, which stands to be twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial.

The 45-page complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, labels the project flagrantly unlawful. Attorneys General Jay Jones of Virginia and Brian Schwalb of the District of Columbia wrote that the arch would inflict irreparable harm on both jurisdictions. They cited specific traffic snarls and the high cost of mitigating those effects.

The legal filing is the latest effort to pause a project whose plans were unveiled in October 2025. The arch is slated for the area between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Construction could begin as soon as the following week.

Jones and Schwalb noted that the defendants refused to adequately consult with either jurisdiction during the approval process. They described the review as hurried and preordained. The attorneys general stated that the costs to assess and respond to the arch's impact are severe and unrecoverable.

President Donald Trump previously described the arch as a military complex designed to hold weapons and snipers. Recent plans reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission do not include these military elements. The White House and the Interior Department did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkin ordered both sides to meet and agree on a briefing schedule for the temporary restraining order motion by Saturday evening.