Judge blocks construction on Trump’s 250-foot arch for now

Updated on: November 6, 2026 / 12:05 AM EST / CBS News

Washington — A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from beginning construction on President Trump's proposed triumphal arch late Thursday, siding — for now — with a group of Vietnam veterans and the District of Columbia and Virginia, which sued to stop the project.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled in a brief order that the government cannot start any "construction-related activity" for 14 days, while further legal proceedings play out. She said she would explain her reasoning in a forthcoming opinion.

The ruling came shortly after the National Capital Planning Commission voted Thursday to approve plans for the 250-foot triumphal arch, giving the final go-ahead for the monument that's set to be constructed between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

The NCPC, which acts as the federal government's planning agency for the region and is stacked with Trump allies, voted 8-4 to greenlight the project after almost 9 hours of public comments from members of Congress, veterans, architects and Washington, D.C., and Virginia residents.

Chutkan's order aside, it's unclear how soon construction of the arch could start, though the Justice Department said in a court…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/