A federal judge blocked construction of President Donald Trump’s proposed 250 foot arch near Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, less than an hour after the National Capital Planning Commission approved the project. The order prevents work from beginning between the Lincoln Memorial and the cemetery.

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan sided with three Vietnam veterans and other plaintiffs seeking to halt construction. She cited environmental damage, traffic problems and costs facing Washington, D.C., and Virginia, which joined the lawsuit last week.

“The harm is certain,” Chutkan wrote. “Defendants initially notified the court that construction could begin as early as November 5, 2026, if the [National Capital Planning Commission, or NCPC] approves the project at its meeting that day and the Department of the Interior authorizes construction.”

The ruling followed a nine hour NCPC hearing involving testimony from 130 members of the public. More than 90% opposed the project, while about 1,000 people submitted written statements addressing its location, size, purpose and potential to draw tourists.

Critics focused heavily on the proposed site near Arlington National Cemetery, where more than 400,000 service members, relatives and public figures are buried. “Placing a gigantic tourist attraction directly along that historic corridor would be a desecration to the memory of our war dead,” Meg Trumbull Cowan said.

NCPC Chairman Mark Paoletta defended the proposal as both a memorial and a security asset. He called it a “generational security opportunity” after Trump announced that the facility would commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary while hosting snipers and storing drones and ammunition.

“President Trump’s historic vision for a monumental arch at Memorial Circle would complete a project over a century in the making, and honor our nation and her veterans, and provide the sacred ground of Arlington National Cemetery with the monumental gateway it deserves,” Paoletta said.

Modeling presented for the project showed the arch blocking part of the cemetery view from the Lincoln Memorial and casting shadows across thousands of graves, including President John F. Kennedy’s. It also showed the structure completely obstructing the Lincoln Memorial view from Arlington House.

Kimberly Moyers, a Navy veteran from Texas, backed the arch and said she supported it for herself and other veterans. “Let the shadow cast by the monument represent the never-ending burden we veterans carry. A shadow I wake up with every morning and lay down with every night,” Moyers said.

The National Park Service supported the project, calling it consistent with a 1924 plan for the Memorial Bridge corridor. That plan envisioned two slender 166 foot columns framing the vista between Arlington and the Lincoln Memorial, while the agency said the new arch would honor “America’s founding principles.”

Commissioner Phil Mendelson sought to postpone the vote because explanations for the arch included honoring veterans, marking the country’s 250th anniversary, providing a military platform and creating a grand city entrance. “Without specificity, I cannot judge whether the arch’s site, scale, and form fit its purpose,” he said.

The 12 member commission includes three people appointed by Trump, three executive branch members, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth, two Republican lawmakers and four members of Washington’s government. Two of the city representatives were appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Veterans Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes and Jon Gundersen filed suit with Calder Loth, a former senior architectural historian for Virginia, on Feb. 19. They argued that the structure lacked required congressional approval and would destroy the intentionally designed sightline between Arlington House and the Lincoln Memorial.

Lemmon testified that he often visits the Vietnam War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial before traveling to Arlington to visit fallen comrades. “The pain is real. … The idea of having a tourist platform 250 feet up in the air, looking over burials… I find it disruptive and disrespectful. This is hallowed ground,” he said.

The proposal calls for a granite clad arch rising 12 stories, with statues at the top and an observation deck overlooking the cemetery. A winged Lady Liberty holding an eternal flame would be among the statues, while the completed structure would stand twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Stander argued that the case should be dismissed under the Supreme Court’s Aug. 31 ruling allowing construction of Trump’s White House ballroom to continue. He described the arch as a “high-priority project” and said the plaintiffs’ objections amounted to philosophical offense.

Attorney Wendy Liu countered that the veterans’ lawsuit concerned their use of the cemetery, not mere aesthetic dislike. Byrnes separately told Military Times that he did not oppose an arch in principle, but believed Memorial Circle was the wrong location.

Chutkan questioned the rush to begin construction and raised concerns about ammunition, drones, visitors and aircraft near the proposed military facility. “What’s the harm to the government to wait three or four months?” she asked.