Virginia and D.C. Sue to Stop Proposed Trump Arch
The Trump administration has stated its intention to commence construction on a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial on November 5, following the final plans' approval.
The Trump administration plans to start building the arch next week.
According to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Saturday by Virginia and the District of Columbia, this construction would cause "immediate and irreparable harm" to both jurisdictions. The attorneys general of Virginia, Jay Jones, and the District of Columbia, Brian Schwalb, argued in the lawsuit:
"The construction of the Arch will inflict immediate and irreparable harm on the District and Virginia. The Arch is slated to be built on a busy traffic circle that abuts the border between the jurisdictions, at the center of a historic viewshed, in a river whose environment the District has a statutory responsibility to protect."
They further emphasize the potential disruption to operations, the impairment of their ability to fulfill legal responsibilities, and the need for significant resources to mitigate and address these impacts.
The attorneys general stress the urgency of their request to halt construction:
"It is entirely foreseeable that, once construction begins, Defendants will argue, as they have done in other cases, that an order halting construction would irreparably harm the federal government, pose security risks, and impermissibly alter the status quo they have unilaterally created. The Court should not allow this cynical gambit to succeed."
They believe the administration is violating the Commemorative Works Act.