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Court blocks White House hall
A U.S. federal appeals court blocked construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, ruling that congressional approval is needed for the project.
“blocking the construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom”
Judges Patricia Millett and Bradley Garcia wrote that “Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence,” and said the National Trust for Historic Preservation showed Congress had not delegated authority to Trump.
The panel also said “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” while acknowledging national security concerns tied to the East Wing renovations but rejecting them as an automatic exemption.
The ruling delayed implementation for 14 days, and the White House announced the construction of the 90,000-square foot ballroom last July with demolition beginning suddenly on the East Wing in late October.
Trump said he would immediately appeal to the Supreme Court, after the appeals court concluded the Defendants may not proceed during district court litigation without securing Congress’s authorization.
Supreme Court bid and dissent
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow construction to move forward, with the Department of Justice seeking a stay on the lower court’s injunction that paused work while litigation proceeds.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the case involves “an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex,” including a “totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House.”
In the appeals court decision, Judge Neomi Rao dissented, writing that the district court “elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government's security interests in the ballroom.”
Rao also said halting the construction “inevitably extends the time during which the President's residence remains less secure,” and tied that concern to a footnote referencing the assassination attempt at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The appeals court had set a deadline of August 21 for construction to be stopped, while also staying its ruling for 14 days to allow the DOJ to appeal.
What’s at stake next
The legal fight centers on whether the White House can proceed with above-ground changes to the East Wing site without congressional approval, while lower courts allowed underground work to continue.
“Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline of Tuesday for a response”
The appeals court majority said its ruling “has nothing at all to do with whether the proposed ballroom is desirable,” but that it means the Defendants may not do so during district court litigation without Congress’s authorization.
Trump’s filing to the Supreme Court argued that halting the project would stall “this vital construction” and make the president “much less safe,” while also asserting that the partially finished “70-foot concrete-and-steel superstructure” cannot be largely left alone.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrated the ruling, with Brent Leggs saying “The White House, a global landmark that symbolizes American identity and the ideals of democracy, belongs to the American people.”
The next step is a Supreme Court response deadline set by Chief Justice John Roberts, and the appeals court’s delayed implementation means the stop-work order would take effect unless the high court grants relief.
