Judge orders 14-day pause on Trump arch construction in D.C.
Tanya Chutkan blocked the 250-foot monument after local governments argued the project harms their interests, while the Labor Department releases its latest jobs data.
By Sakura Ellis ·
A federal judge ordered a 14-day halt to construction on President Trump’s proposed 250-foot arch in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan issued the order just before midnight. The pause was requested by the governments of D.C. and Virginia.
Chutkan’s 33-page opinion reviewed the administration’s reasons for building the arch. She focused on the claim that the structure serves national security interests. The judge agreed that local governments are likely to suffer harm from the construction process. The arch is planned for Memorial Circle, a traffic island on the bridge connecting the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery.
The legal move came after a contentious meeting with the National Capital Planning Commission. The panel, which includes allies of the president, voted to approve the arch on Thursday. The vote allowed excavation to begin. Dozens of opponents attended the meeting to voice their concerns. The session lasted nearly nine hours before the panel gave the final approval.
Democratic lawmakers are preparing to challenge the project in Congress. Representative Jared Huffman of California warned commissioners that projects not authorized by Congress carry legal risks. Huffman is expected to lead the House Natural Resources Committee. Several other Democrats are discussing ways to block the arch’s funding.
The Labor Department released the latest jobs report on Thursday. The data showed employers added about 60,000 jobs last month. This figure reflects slow growth but keeps the unemployment rate low. Analysts noted that a stable job market allows the Federal Reserve to focus on high inflation. Inflation played a key role in the recent midterm election results.
Separate news items showed shifts in other sectors. School enrollment is projected to drop by 2 million students by 2030. This decline is driven by smaller family sizes and the deportation of immigrant families. U.S. Census data indicates the number of children under 18 has fallen by 2.1 million since 2010. A Migration Policy Institute study found that 1.9 million people left the country during the current administration.
Harmeet Dhillon stepped down as head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. She served for 18 months and was the first senior official to leave after Democrats took control of Congress. Dhillon described the role as the honor of a lifetime. Her tenure involved major changes to the unit’s staffing and direction.
In the stock market, the Nasdaq index fell by more than 5% on Thursday. The drop wiped out over $2 trillion in market value. Investors reacted to concerns about regulation of artificial intelligence by the new Democratic Congress. This decline followed a rise in shares on Wednesday after the midterm election outcomes were confirmed.
