The Trump administration is fighting to restart construction on a White House ballroom project, claiming that a federal judge’s order to halt the work creates dangerous security vulnerabilities at the executive mansion.
Administration lawyers filed an emergency appeal Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling has left the White House “open and exposed” and is “threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the President and his family, and the President’s staff.”
Earlier this week, Leon issued an order requiring construction crews to stop work on the ballroom while a legal challenge moves forward in court. The lawsuit aims to block the $400 million construction project, which is being built where the historic East Wing once stood after it was recently torn down. Those challenging the project claim it requires congressional approval before moving ahead.
Leon, who was appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush, gave the Trump administration a 14-day window to file their appeal before his order would take effect.
In their latest filing, National Park Service attorneys argued that the federal district court does not have the constitutional power “to entertain this suit, which rests on a single pedestrian’s subjective architectural feelings.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, initiated the legal battle against the construction project. The group alleges that Trump overstepped his presidential powers when he ordered the demolition of the historic East Wing and began building the new structure.
The administration’s Friday filing dismisses the Trust’s arguments as “legally baseless” and contends that “no Trust member has standing.” Government lawyers also maintain that “the President has complete authority to renovate the White House.”
The East Wing that was demolished had stood since 1902, with additions made during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time in office in the 1940s.
This ballroom project represents one element of Trump’s larger vision to transform Washington’s historic center, which includes proposals for a 250-foot arch and modifications to the Kennedy Center.
