Judge blocks Trump's 250-foot arch for 14 days

A federal judge on Thursday night temporarily blocked construction of President Donald Trump's planned 250-foot arch in Washington, a setback for one of his most prominent projects in the capital.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order barring any construction, excavation, demolition or other work at the site, which is a traffic circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Her order came shortly after the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 to give the project final approval. The four commissioners who voted no were not appointed by Trump.

The commission had heard hours of testimony from veterans, lawmakers, architects and residents, most of them opposed to the arch. The administration had said it was ready to begin work almost right away after the vote.

The restraining order grants a request from the District of Columbia and Virginia, which are suing over the project, and a group of Vietnam veterans has also challenged it. In a 33-page opinion, Chutkan wrote that the challengers are likely to succeed in showing the government did not follow required legal steps, and she pointed to traffic problems the construction would cause as a real harm to the local governments.

A restraining order is a short-term measure. The judge will now consider whether to keep the work on hold while the lawsuit moves forward. The ruling comes as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, which is expected to scrutinize several of the president's Washington building projects. This is a developing story.