The District of Columbia and Virginia sued the Trump administration on Saturday to halt construction of the 250-foot triumphal arch planned for Memorial Circle, asking a federal court for a temporary restraining order days before work could begin. Attorneys General Brian Schwalb and Jay Jones filed the suit Oct. 31 against the National Park Service, the Interior Department and their leaders, Jessica Bowron and Doug Burgum.
The timing is the point. The administration has said ground could be broken as soon as Nov. 5, the day the National Capital Planning Commission meets to consider final approval, if Interior also issues its own final decision. Per CBS News, the complaint says irreparable harm would begin "as soon as Defendants break ground."
The complaint runs to eight counts, including violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. It also alleges that the arch breaks the Height of Buildings Act, which generally caps buildings on D.C. business streets at 130 feet, and that Congress never authorized it as the Commemorative Works Act requires, according to Newsweek's account of the filing. The jurisdictions say construction would snarl traffic between the District and Virginia, strain emergency service
