In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration is unlawfully constructing a massive new ballroom at the White House.
A federal appeals court on Friday ordered Trump’s administration to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority.
The Washington-based U.S. Court upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.
While the administration maintained that the donor-funded project includes critical underground national security and bunker infrastructure, preservationists successfully argued that bypassing Congress and standard historic reviews violated federal oversight laws.
Notably the U.S. appeals court stayed its ruling for two weeks, giving the Trump administration time to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and setting the stage for a potential high-stakes legal battle over executive power.
