Kathrine Frich
The plaintiffs want to prevent another sudden construction site.
When leaders take power, the urge to leave a physical mark on the capital is almost irresistible.
Grand building projects often follow. But sometimes, those sweeping plans hit a sudden legal brick wall.
A judge steps in
Judge Tanya Chutkan has sent a strict warning to the Donald Trump administration. She ordered officials to pause early work on a new triumphal arch, according to a news report by HuffPost.
Three Vietnam veterans and an art historian filed a lawsuit to stop the project. They fear the towering monument will ruin historic sightlines.
Tensions flared on Thursday when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced plans to break ground. This move defied an earlier court mandate.
Strict new rules
The judge tightened the leash on Friday. She demanded that the government “provide the court with 48 hours’ notice before engaging in any activity on Memorial Circle other than on-site information gathering.”
Chutkan added that any unapproved construction “would be a violation” of her orders.
The veterans responded with their own legal filing. They argued the “imminent course of action that Secretary Burgum has announced to the American people is unlawful many times over.”
The ballroom effect
The administration feels emboldened by a recent Supreme Court victory. That ruling allowed them to build a White House ballroom, following a surprise demolition of the East Wing.
Government lawyers think this new lawsuit should fail for similar reasons. In their view, the veterans have no legal right to sue at all.
The plaintiffs want to prevent another sudden construction site. They begged the court not to let officials “to blaze ahead with an unlawful course of conduct in the hope that they can render the arch a fait accompli before this Court has had the chance to reach a final determination as to whether Defendants’ project is authorized by law.”
Looking for funds
Burgum insists a law from the early 1900s already approves the monument. He argues this old rule overrides recent zoning restrictions.
Chutkan made her stance clear in April. “What I do not want is for ground to be broken while this case is pending,” she said.
Getting the actual money might prove impossible anyway. Senate Republicans already refused to fund the president’s previous ballroom project.
Sources: Huffpost, Court filings
