National Capital Planning Commission to consider final approval on Nov. 5
Three veterans and a retired architectural historian asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Thursday to halt all construction plans for the proposed triumphal arch along the Potomac River in Memorial Circle. Their request came one day after the National Park Service told the court in a Wednesday filing that work could begin as early as Nov. 5, subject to required approvals.
The National Park Service and the executive office of the president said they planned to possibly begin construction as early as Nov. 5, pending approval from the National Capital Planning Commission. The commission was scheduled to meet that day to consider final approval of the site and building plans.
The government’s notice said construction could begin after the commission’s approval was completed, the Interior Department issued a final decision authorizing construction and proper notification was published. The notice stated: “NPS may publish such notice as early as November 5, 2026, and construction could commence as early as November 5, 2026.”
In their Thursday filing, the plaintiffs asked Chutkan to prohibit the administration and the National Park Service “from taking any steps to construct, or to direct or facilitate construction of, any structure in Memorial Circle, absent congressional authorization, during the pendency of this litigation.”
The plaintiffs said the notification “makes clear that the defendants have no intention of awaiting this court’s decision on the cross-motions for summary judgment and have every intention of imminently beginning construction of the arch on Memorial Circle.”
The plaintiffs sued in federal court in Washington, D.C., saying the project needs approval from Congress. The arch has received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all appointed by President Donald Trump.
The structure is planned to be 250 feet tall (76 meters). President Donald Trump said it might also include national security functions such as drones and snipers. Plans submitted to the commission by the Interior Department do not mention the “military complex” he said the structure would host, though the agency said the plan could accommodate such a feature.
The Public Citizen Litigation Group, one of the legal groups representing the plaintiffs, cited several projects being pursued by the administration that had moved forward with work despite pending lawsuits.
The arch is among several projects around Washington pursued by the Trump administration, including a golf-course renovation and the administration’s threat to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Earlier that week, plaintiffs in the East Potomac Park golf-course case argued during a five-hour hearing that Trump had made clear that construction plans were forthcoming despite the pending litigation.
The Washington federal lawsuit is one of two challenges to construction of the arch. Earlier this month, the Arlington County Board in Virginia filed suit in the Eastern District of Virginia opposing construction of the planned monument, becoming the first governmental body to take legal action against it. The Arlington lawsuit criticized the speed at which the project slated for Memorial Circle had moved without the full review process. The administration disputed that claim.
Chutkan ordered the administration and the plaintiffs to meet and file a briefing schedule by noon Friday.