A federal judge blocked construction of President Donald Trump's arch in Washington, D.C., as a panel of his appointees gave it final approval.

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A federal judge blocked construction of President Donald Trump's arch in Washington, D.C., shortly after a federal planning panel dominated by his appointees gave final approval to the site and building plans.

Trump has for more than a year sought to build the 250-foot-tall, 166-foot-wide arch in Memorial Circle, but the project has been dogged by litigation brought by three Vietnam War veterans, an architectural historian and the governments of Washington, D.C., and Virginia alleging the project is unlawful.

Late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted a request from the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia for a temporary restraining order, barring the government from breaking ground on the project for 14 days as litigation on the merits of the consolidated case continues.

In her 33-page opinion, Chutkan sided with Virginia and D.C., ruling that the project likely violates federal law, construction threatens immediate and irreparable harm and halting construction is in the public's interest.

She also was unconvinced by the Trump administration's recent declarations that the arch was needed for national security.

"The court appreciates the government's significant interest in national security. But these recent and unsupported attestations of security aspects of a structure that has been extensively discussed over the last year appear nowhere in the planning documents on which the project was reviewed and approved," she said.

"When asked at the hearing about the security aspects raised in the Hegseth and Mullin declarations, the government responded that it had no further information other than what was contained in the declarations."

The ruling came after the National Capital Planning Commission voted 8-4 Thursday night to approve plans for the proposal, following hours of public discussion on the divisive arch that critics say is one of several vanity projects Trump has spearheaded in the nation's capital.

"The proposed 'Triumphal Arch' is a disgrace and an unnecessary danger to the area, for no other reason than to build a monument to the president's ego," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told the panel during the session.

"I urge you to take your responsibilities seriously, and to resist political pressure to rubber-stamp this unjustified, harmful and disgraceful project."