Judge reinforces order barring immediate work on Trump arch in Washington
The ruling keeps the project on hold except for archaeological survey work, after the Interior Department said excavation could start within two weeks.
- On Friday, District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the Trump administration to provide 48 hours' notice before "engaging in any activity" at the proposed 250-foot arch site near Arlington National Cemetery, excluding archaeological identification work.
- Despite Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's announcement of work starting after a "very long wait," the administration stated in court filings that excavation of four "test pits" beginning on or after September 21 does not constitute construction.
- Without final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, the project lacks an exception to Washington's 130-foot height limit, while the administration's reliance on a 1925 law for authorization remains disputed by opponents.
- Fearing the administration might proceed unlawfully, plaintiffs including military veterans pointed to the White House ballroom project as a "cautionary tale," arguing there is "no legal basis for the construction work."
- The administration must restore the site by October 31 and provide 14 days' notice before any actual construction or demolition begins, per Chutkan's ruling which reiterated requirements from an earlier April consent order.
32 Articles
32 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Trump must give 48 hours notice before starting construction on DC arch, judge rules
The Trump administration claims the announced work at the site will only be standard archaeological analysis in preparation for construction
Trump wants to start digging for his vanity arch. A federal judge just stopped him
The Trump administration was ready to get moving on Donald Trump’s giant Washington arch.A federal judge just slammed the brakes on the project. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday ordered the administration not to begin construction at the proposed site of Trump’s 250-foot “triumphal arch” without providing formal notice first, and before the court could decide whether the project is legally authorized.
Donald Trump is starting to build his unpopular triumphal arch in Washington. Is it because he thinks he will lose power in the midterm elections? Or because he's sure to keep it? In any case, he does not hide why the arch should be built.
Protothema
Critics of the project have filed a request for a temporary halt to work, saying that not all the necessary opinions exist.
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