NICKI MINAJ SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER SHOWING OFF 'MOST MEANINGFUL GIFT' FROM TRUMP. (PHOTO).
A group of Vietnam War veterans and an architectural historian filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot “Independence Arch” at the western edge of the National Mall. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asks a judge to block construction at Memorial Circle—between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery—until the project receives explicit congressional approval. The plaintiffs argue the arch would interfere with the historically significant line of sight between the two memorials, which was intentionally designed to symbolize national unity after the Civil War.
The veterans, Michael Lemmon, Shaun Byrnes, and Jon Gunderson, along with retired senior architectural historian Calder Roth, contend that the arch, planned to be completed for the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, would obstruct views of Arlington House from the Lincoln Memorial and vice versa. They claim the project violates the Commemorative Works Act of 1986, which requires congressional authorization for monuments on federal land, and note that Trump has indicated he will fund the construction through private donations managed by Freedom 250. The lawsuit also raises safety concerns about potential airspace hazards near Ronald Reagan National Airport. Byrnes described the proposed arch as a “massive expression of domination” that could overshadow the values of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery, while the group’s attorney emphasized the project is unlawful without congressional approval.
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