The rendering of the planned Triumphal Arch that was a feature of last summer's Great American State Fair. (Photo by Dan McCue) WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump won the planning agency approval he sought for a triumphal arch in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, but a federal judge blocked construction minutes later. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued an order barring construction for two weeks while she considers legal challenges to the proposed arch near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. The judge was responding to requests from the attorneys general of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Like dozens of private citizens who testified to the National Capital Planning Commission, the local attorneys general describe the arch as a vanity project by Trump. They also say it would cause permanent harm by desecrating a site so close to Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Nevertheless, the 12-member planning commission voted to approve the project. Three of the members were appointed by Trump. Others represent federal agencies. Trump planned on starting construction as soon as Friday after winning commission approval. Construction crews already had arranged earthmoving equipment near the grassy area that would serve as home for the 250-foot tall arch. The construction plans stopped just before midnight when the judge issued a temporary restraining order. Chutkan said Virginia and the District of Columbia offered additional evidence that construction would create immediate problems, such as traffic disruptions, emergency response complications and expenses for local agencies. She also questioned the Trump administration’s legal justification for the monument, which relies on a 1925 law that authorized a memorial at the proposed site. “The sheer improbability that a 100-year-old statute would contain authority, unknown to every previous administration, to erect a 250-foot arch at a principal location in the nation’s capital indicates how far defendants must stretch to justify this project,” Chutkan wrote. At a court hearing last month, Chutkan questioned the Trump administration’s rush to build the arch before the lawsuits were resolved and Congress considered the proposal. She asked what harm a temporary delay would cause separate from the president’s desire to “bedazzle the city.” The planning commission’s 8-to-4 vote gave Trump the approval he said was adequate to move forward with the arch that would become a major addition to Washington’s skyline. Opponents said congressional approval is required. The design resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris but would stand 80 feet taller. Construction was expected to last three years at a cost as high as $100 million. The commission’s chairman, Mark Paoletta, a Trump appointee who also serves as general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget, opened Thursday’s eight-hour hearing with an endorsement of the project. “President Trump understands as president and a superb builder that it’s important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments,” Paoletta said. Trump spoke about the arch Monday when he said that “from a beautification standpoint, it’ll be the most beautiful arch in the world.” The opponents include Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who is expected to chair the House Natural Resources Committee. “This arch would dishonor America,” Huffman said during the planning commission hearing Thursday. He described it as a tribute to Trump rather than a memorial to veterans. Virginia and the District of Columbia filed their lawsuit Oct. 31. Their case, titled in court records as District of Columbia v. National Park Service, No. 1:26-cv-03838 (D.D.C. 2026), was consolidated with an earlier lawsuit brought by three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian. Donate now and help us continue to publish TWN’s distinctive journalism. The rendering of the planned Triumphal Arch that was a feature of last summer's Great American State Fair. (Photo by Dan McCue) Hiring signs are displayed in Wheeling, Ill., Wednesday, October. 14, 2026. ( . Huh) . Vásquez, 4, 2025, in Detroit. ( Senate seat in Alaska, addresses supporters at an election watch party on Aug.