Veterans Challenge Trump's Proposed 250-Foot Arch Near Arlington
Lawyers for plaintiffs argue the massive structure would obstruct cherished historic sightlines and lacks congressional authorization.
Three Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian are engaged in a legal battle to block the construction of a proposed 250-foot "Great Triumphal Arch" near Arlington National Cemetery, arguing it would disrupt historic sightlines and lacks proper congressional approval.
Nicolas Sansone, an attorney with the Public Citizen Litigation Group representing the plaintiffs, stated that the proposed arch would obstruct significant views between the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and Arlington House. "Two of our veteran plaintiffs hope to be buried there," Sansone said, emphasizing the personal connection the plaintiffs have to the cemetery.
The Trump administration has acknowledged in a planning document that the project, intended to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary, will have "adverse effects on historic properties." The National Park Service noted in the document that "such adverse effects cannot be fully avoided while retaining the location-dependent purpose of the undertaking."
Architectural historian Calder Loth explained that the capital was designed to preserve unobstructed views between landmarks. "One of the sort of central design features is that the capital has been laid out in a very deliberate way to create this uninterrupted view between the Lincoln Memorial on the east side of the Potomac River and Arlington House... on the west side in Arlington National Cemetery," Loth said.
Sansone argued that the administration's reliance on a 1925 law authorizing unbuilt columns is insufficient justification for the current project. "Congress's authorization to have a particular project built at a particular time subject to a specific price cap by a now-disbanded commission can't reasonably be relied on to authorize a totally different independent project that's going to cost way more money centuries into the future," he stated.
The plaintiffs have requested a temporary restraining order from a federal judge to halt the project, asserting that construction cannot proceed without explicit authorization from Congress. The administration had indicated that excavation work was slated to begin within two weeks prior to this legal challenge.