Judge halts Trump's 250-foot arch within hours of final federal approval

The vote followed a virtual hearing of roughly nine hours, most of it testimony against the project, CBS News reported. Chutkan's temporary restraining order, issued just before midnight, bars excavation, demolition, utility work, road closures and any other ground-disturbing work tied to the arch. She granted it at the request of Virginia and the District of Columbia, whose lawsuit she joined with an earlier one filed by Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian. In a 33-page opinion she found the plaintiffs likely to show that the government skipped required legal steps, and she was not persuaded that a 1925 law authorizes an arch on the site, according to CBS News and the Associated Press.

The job was close to mobilizing. Officials had told the court that crews would run 20-hour days, every day of the year, for two to three years, NPR reported. In a Wednesday filing, the government said Grunley Construction Company, a Maryland contractor, could already be getting ready off-site to mobilize, according to Axios. Justice Department lawyers also disclosed that a contractor did site preparation work on Oct. 31, apparently without National Park Service authorization, AP reported.

Plans filed with the commission show a 166-foot arch topped by three gilded figures that bring the total height to 250 feet, plus an observation deck. The administration has not disclosed the cost or who pays for it. AP put estimates as high as $100 million.

The White House praised the commission vote and criticized the order, CBS News reported. The government must certify by Monday, Nov. 9, that it is complying, according to Axios. The order runs 14 days while Chutkan weighs the lawsuits, which argue the arch needs approval from Congress. Arlington County has filed a separate suit.