Virginia and D.C. Sue to Halt Construction of Trump’s Proposed Arch

Virginia and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Saturday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to block construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch.

The 45‑page complaint, signed by Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, describes the project as “flagrantly unlawful.”

The arch, unveiled by the Trump administration in October 2025, is planned to stand 250 feet tall, twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, and would be situated between Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

According to the lawsuit, construction could begin as soon as next week and would “inflict irreparable harm” on both jurisdictions, including severe traffic congestion.

The attorneys general wrote that both jurisdictions will need to take “immediate and costly steps to assess, respond to, and mitigate these harmful effects,” and that those costs are “severe and unrecoverable” because the defendants have not consulted them.

The White House and the Interior Department were contacted for comment, but no response had been received at the time of reporting.

President Trump has previously defended the arch, describing it as a “military complex” for weapons and snipers, though the latest plans under review by the National Capital Planning Commission do not contain military elements.

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

The lawsuit represents the latest legal effort to stop the construction of the towering structure.