A group of veterans asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of President Donald Trump’s triumphal arch, which the administration says could begin as soon as Nov. 5.
The Thursday filing argues that building the 250-foot arch is “unauthorized by any law” since Congress has not passed a statute allowing its construction. It requests a ruling on the motion no later than Nov. 4, the day before the Trump administration said in a filing Wednesday it could begin construction.
The request is the latest move in a lawsuit filed by three Vietnam War veterans in February over the construction of the arch.
The veterans argue that erecting the arch — between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery — would permanently interfere with and degrade the “symbolic landscape that holds great personal meaning” to the plaintiffs.
Trending
The veterans regularly visit the cemetery to pay their respects and admire “the solemnity of the reciprocal views between the Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial,” the filing says.
The request for preliminary injunction comes after the Wednesday court filing said that construction could “commence immediately” if the National Capital Planning Commission, a panel that approves projects on federal land in the D.C. area, approves the plan in a Nov. 5 meeting and the Interior Department authorizes work.
Author
