Appeals court green lights Trump’s White House ballroom construction through June

A three-judge federal appeals panel on Friday allowed construction on President Trump’s White House ballroom to go forward into June, a move that came one day after a federal judge limited the project to “below-ground construction.”

The panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit granted the Trump administration a stay of U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order from Thursday. The panel scheduled arguments for June 5 to reconsider if all construction should be blocked.

Leon first halted construction of the ballroom in March, citing a lack of congressional approval. He reiterated that decision on Thursday but limited the project to “below-ground construction,” rejecting the administration’s claims that the entire project must proceed for security reasons.  

The order referred to underground construction of bunkers, bomb shelters, military installations or medical facilities.

The administration has argued that construction on the $400 million project was vital to the safety of Trump and his family. The ballroom will be made with missile-resistant steel columns; drone-proof roofing materials; and bullet-, ballistic- and blast-proof glass, according to court filings. It will also house top-secret military installations, medical facilities and bomb shelters.

Trump slammed Leon and accused him of “illegal overreach” and “costing our Nation greatly.”

“This is a mockery to our Court System! The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security, and no Judge can be allowed to stop this Historic and Militarily Imperative Project,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Thursday.

The Department of Justice filed an appeal that same day, suggesting that the ruling “would imperil the President and national security and indefinitely leave a large hole beside the Executive Residence.” 

Trump proposed the ballroom in October and proceeded with the demolition of the East Wing. The project received approval from the National Capital Planning Commission earlier this month. Commissioners argued that the ballroom aligned with past construction projects spearheaded by past presidents.

The latest set of rulings comes in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lawsuit challenging the project, which aims to stop it until the White House abides by federal law and other rules, like obtaining congressional approval.

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