Cultural Landscape Foundation Sues to Halt Blue Coating of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

D.C. on Monday seeking to halt the painting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, names the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service as defendants.

It was assigned to Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee. Judge Carl Nichols asked both sides to tell him by Tuesday evening whether he should hold a hearing on the request for an emergency court order. The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting informed stewardship of historic landscapes, argues the project violates the National Historic Preservation Act by failing to complete the Section 106 consultation process.

No consulting parties have been notified, engaged, or given an opportunity to participate. The group also argues the project violates federal law by failing to issue an environmental assessment. "Defendants' failure to follow the law before inserting a permanent blemish on the National Mall is causing serious and irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs and the public generally," lawyers for the Cultural Landscape Foundation wrote in court papers.

Charles A. " Birnbaum served as coordinator for the National Park Service's Historic Landscape Initiative from 1992 to 2007 and wrote the Department of the Interior's standards and guidelines for the preservation and treatment of historic landscapes. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has long featured a gray basin.

The Trump administration is applying an American flag blue coating to the basin of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Work transforming the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with a blue covering is already well underway, and restoration work was underway at the pool on May 8, 2026.

President Trump drove across the drained Reflecting Pool last week to survey the landmark and praised the new American flag blue coating.

In late April, President Trump told reporters that his administration was planning to resurface the stone bottom of the pool in an American flag blue made of the latest and greatest filament. He said the cost of the project would be about $2 million in taxpayer funds. The New York Times reported that the contracting firm hired for the project would be paid more than $13 million.

The contract was awarded without a bidding process. The Reflecting Pool was comprehensively renovated in 2012, and the National Park Service has carried out some renovations to the Reflecting Pool since 2012. The pool is periodically drained to scrub out algae, garbage, bird droppings and dirt.

An Interior Department spokesperson said the new blue color will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. The Interior Department is making other changes at the site to help with the maintenance of the pool’s water quality.

The Interior Department stated it chose the best company to expedite the repair of the iconic Reflecting Pool ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US founding.

The lawsuit is the latest challenge to President Trump's effort to remake a slew of cultural and historic institutions and sites in the nation’s capital. Other groups have asked federal courts to stop the president from moving ahead with work on a massive new ballroom at the White House, construction of an arch similar to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe and the painting of a federal office building adjacent to the White House.

The department said the National Park Service is proud of the work being carried out to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come.