US court lets Trump resume work on US$400 million White House ballroom – for now
A federal appeals court panel has temporarily lifted an injunction, allowing construction to resume pending a June hearing.
A federal appeals court has granted a temporary reprieve for the Trump administration's controversial plan to build a $400 million ballroom at the White House. On Friday night, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put a lower court's preliminary injunction on hold, allowing construction of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) structure to resume for now. The panel did not rule on the legal merits of the underlying lawsuit but set a June 5 hearing to consider the Justice Department's request for a longer pause while the appeal is pending.
This ruling temporarily blocks a decision issued just a day earlier by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, who declared the project unlawful without Congressional approval. The lawsuit, filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, challenges the administration's authority to build the ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing. The appeals court's order provides a procedural window for the administration to continue work, but the fundamental legal battle over the project's legitimacy remains unresolved and will be addressed in the upcoming June hearing.
- A three-judge appeals court panel temporarily stayed an injunction blocking the $400 million White House ballroom project.
- The panel set a June 5 hearing to review the DOJ's request for a longer construction pause during the appeal process.
- The ruling overturns a District Court finding that the 90,000-square-foot project required Congressional approval to proceed.
Why It Matters
This case tests the limits of executive authority over federal property and sets a precedent for major alterations to historic government buildings.