Federal judge orders 14-day delay on any work beginning on Trump’s monumental arch

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge early Friday blocked the Trump administration from breaking ground on a towering memorial arch for 14 days.

The temporary restraining order by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan halting the work represents a major setback for one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent projects in his vision to remake Washington.

The decision followed a series of steps taken earlier Thursday by the government, including the final approval of the arch by the National Capital Planning Commission in an 8-4 vote after a nine-hour hearing where dozens of witnesses opposed the construction.

The administration said the work could begin as soon as the approval and the Interior Department issued a final decision authorizing construction and the proper notification was published by the National Park Service.

In issuing the delay, Chutkan granted the request of the latest plaintiffs in lawsuits challenging the construction of the arch. The District of Columbia and Virginia filed suit Oct. 31. Chutkan consolidated that suit with the original, filed by a group of Vietnam veterans and an architectural historian. Virginia and District of Columbia sought the temporary restraining order as part of their lawsuit.

The arch is one of several projects around Washington that Trump has undertaken as he remakes the city, from renovating one of its storied public golf courses to threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Those projects could soon face greater scrutiny after the Democrats gained control of Congress.