Judge Chutkan blocks construction of Trump's D.C. memorial arch for 14 days

A federal judge late Thursday blocked the Trump administration from breaking ground on a planned 250-foot memorial arch at Memorial Circle for 14 days, hours after a presidentially stacked National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 to approve it.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted a temporary restraining order sought by the District of Columbia and Virginia, writing that local governments are likely to be harmed by round-the-clock construction the administration said could run 20 hours a day for two to three years. The arch would sit on the bridge approach linking the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery — opponents say it would block the view of the cemetery.

The pause is a setback for one of the president's signature projects to remake Washington for the nation's 250th anniversary. Multiple lawsuits still challenge whether Congress must approve the structure.