Trump's arch is on the verge of federal approval. But a judge could block construction

A federal panel will meet to consider the arch for final approval on Thursday, and the government said it may begin construction later that same day. Critics hope a judge will intervene last-minute.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1435x859+0+0/resize/1435x859!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6a%2F77%2Fa4849f014eb29bc1be79d1375511%2Fscreenshot-2026-11-03-135603.png' alt='The government submitted final renderings to the National Capital Planning Commission that depict a 250-foot arch topped with three gold statues and an eternal flame.'/><p>A federal panel will meet to consider the arch for final approval on Thursday, and the government said it may begin construction later that same day. Critics hope a judge will intervene last-minute.</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6027301' />