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GALLERY View illustrations of the proposed National World War II Memorial

From CNN Producer Silvio Carrillo

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Citing its location and other issues, opponents of the proposed National World War II Memorial filed a request for a restraining order Monday to try to block its construction.

President Bush on Memorial Day signed legislation clearing the way for the memorial's construction. That signing came soon after Congress approved the bill to expedite building of the new memorial after years of delay due to legal wrangling.

The proposed memorial has generated some controversy because critics say the design will mar the clean, open space of the National Mall.

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In the court filing Monday, a coalition of groups sought a restraining order from federal district court in Washington to stop the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) from signing contracts with contractors to build the memorial.

Construction could begin on D-Day anniversary

The ABMC has indicated it will authorize a contract for construction to begin as early as June 6 -- 57 years after the historic D-Day invasion when more than 130,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of northwestern Europe.

RESOURCES View a map of the National Mall with the proposed location of the new memorial     MESSAGE BOARD The U.S. military

Judy Scott Feldman, co-chair of the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, blasted Bush and Congress for passage of the bill.

"Congress and the president approved legislation in haste to meet an artificial Memorial Day deadline without even hearing what we have been saying about this illegally approved World War II memorial and its disastrous effects on the National Mall," Feldman said.

The group contends the legislation Bush signed giving the go-ahead for the memorial nullifies the 1985 Commemorative Works Act, signed into law by President Reagan, which sought to protect the mall from becoming overcrowded with memorials.

The court filing says the proposed memorial will "destroy, interfere with and adversely affect the mall's nationally important historic cultural resources."

"This case is reminiscent of congressional efforts 30 years ago to strong-arm the District of Columbia into building a massive freeway network through the heart of the city and its parks and neighborhoods," the suit says.

First monument to honor all WWII vets

D.J. O'Brien, a spokesman for Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Arkansas, who was the sponsor of the Senate bill, said the senator is "exasperated by the lawsuit."

"We feel the lawsuit is without merit," O'Brien said.

Opposition group representatives complain about the way in which they say the bill was hurriedly approved, circumventing an environmental impact study and denying the public time to voice its opinion on the matter.

"Laws were broken. Federal officials have gotten away with the perfect crime, but even if this memorial is built here," said Neil Feldman, a spokesman for the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, "the public needs to understand why it is and how it is that we can come up with a fascist-looking design."

George Idelson, a World War II Veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, agrees with Feldman and had a suggestion for the project proponents.

"Maybe it's time for the planners and the congressmen to go down to the Reflecting Pool and do a little reflecting upon what they have done. It's not too late to come to our senses," he said.

Supporters of the memorial say it is needed to honor the millions of Americans who served during World War II, especially as about 1,100 veterans of the war die each day, according to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. Of the 16 million who served, about 5 million are still living.

The memorial will be the first to honor all of the nation's veterans who served during the war. President Clinton first dedicated the site during a formal ceremony on Veteran's Day in 1995.

Between Lincoln and Washington

The site is at the east end of the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument -- what the memorial's foundation calls a prominent location "commensurate with the historical importance and lasting significance of World War II to America and the world."

In the immediate vicinity are the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the District of Columbia World War I Memorial, and Constitution Gardens.

Barring further delays, the memorial is to be formally dedicated in late 2002 or early 2003.