WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has temporarily lifted restrictions on President Donald Trump’s controversial $400 million White House ballroom project, overturning a lower court’s decision to halt above-ground construction work.
The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the temporary stay late Friday, reversing U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order that had stopped surface-level construction. The appeals court has set a hearing date of June 5 to examine the matter further.
Judge Leon’s Thursday decision had permitted only underground construction to proceed, specifically work on bunker facilities and other “national security installations” beneath the site. His order blocked all above-ground development of the proposed 90,000-square-foot ballroom expansion.
The President demolished the existing East Wing last fall to make way for the enormous ballroom facility. The National Trust for Historic Preservation subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging the construction, claiming Trump exceeded his executive powers by proceeding without proper authorization from essential federal departments and congressional approval.
Leon initially sided with the preservation organization in late March, though he temporarily suspended his ruling while permitting subterranean work to proceed. The Trump administration subsequently filed an appeal.
The President has defended the ballroom project as a necessary expansion to the White House facilities that has been needed for years. He maintains his authority to proceed with construction since private donations from wealthy donors and corporations will fund the project, although taxpayer money will cover security-related components.
