DC and Virginia Join Third Lawsuit Against 250-Foot Arch as Construction Could Start Next Week
The District of Columbia and Virginia filed suit Saturday seeking to block work on a monument that would stand 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
By Beatriz Soto ·
Washington and Virginia sued in federal court Saturday to halt construction of President Donald Trump's proposed memorial arch, marking the third lawsuit filed against the project. The administration has said work could begin as early as next week.
The arch would stand 250 feet on a grassy patch off the bridge spanning the Potomac River between Washington and Arlington National Cemetery. That height exceeds the Statue of Liberty's measurement from base to torch top by 100 feet.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is already weighing a request to halt the project from three Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian who filed the original lawsuit. She held a hearing Friday and did not issue an immediate ruling, saying she would move expeditiously.
District Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones filed Saturday's complaint. They argued the site sits on a major traffic artery and that three years of construction would snarl traffic between the two jurisdictions, produce pollution and stormwater runoff in the Potomac, and interfere with emergency services. The filing noted joint emergency operations are routine in the region, citing the January 2025 midair collision between a military helicopter and an airliner that killed 67 people. The complaint seeks a temporary restraining order.
The administration said in a recent court filing that it planned to seek final approval at Thursday's meeting of the Capital National Planning Commission, with construction possibly starting that same day. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, the government submitted a 106-page plan for the structure. It describes an arch more than 12 stories high containing a bronze statue of Lady Liberty with wings holding a torch with an eternal flame. The plan includes an observation deck, an occupied roof, two mezzanines, program space, offices, a staff lounge, circular staircases, multiple elevators, and a fire command center. It also reroutes traffic on nearby roads. Administration officials have said the arch will have a national security function.
