Preservation groups sue to block Trump's Garden at Mall

A coalition of preservation and cultural groups has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt President Donald Trump's plan to build a National Garden of American Heroes on the National Mall. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, June 15, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues the project is unlawful and requires congressional authorization.

The proposed garden, slated for West Potomac Park between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, would feature approximately 250 life-size statues of historical figures. The Trump administration has described it as a centerpiece of the nation's 250th-anniversary celebrations. However, the plaintiffs, including the National Parks Conservation Association and five other groups, allege the plan violates federal laws governing commemorative works on the National Mall.

The lawsuit contends that the Commemorative Works Act designates the National Mall as a "substantially completed work of civic art" and prohibits new commemorative works within its "great cross-axis," which includes West Potomac Park. It asks a judge to block construction until legal requirements are met. The filing also references other Trump administration projects that have...