Phil Mendelson

Rule Changes

Voted against approval; motion to delay failed 4-8

Just before midnight on Nov. 5, Judge Tanya Chutkan barred the government from doing any construction work at Memorial Circle for 14 days. Less than two hours earlier, a federal planning commission had voted 8-4 to let the project begin. On Nov. 2, she had ordered the government to report any decision by the planning commission, Park Service or Interior within an hour.

Updated 5 days ago

Built World

As of May 2026: Criticized ballroom scale as 'disturbing' at January 8 NCPC presentation

At a January 22 hearing on the National Trust's preliminary injunction request, Judge Richard Leon signaled deep skepticism about Trump's authority to tear down "an icon that's a national institution" using $400 million in private donations. Leon called the funding mechanism a "Rube Goldberg contraption" and is expected to rule in February; Trump declared on Truth Social that "IT IS TOO LATE" to stop the project, claiming structural steel, marble, and bulletproof glass are already lined up.

Updated May 15