A US federal appeals court has dealt the Trump administration a major legal setback, ordering a halt to construction on the contentious $400m White House Ballroom.
Critics maintain that the administration launched the project without obtaining required approval from Congress.
In its decision, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed a lower court’s injunction suspending work on the proposed venue, which occupies the former site of the White House’s East Wing.
The judgment follows a legal challenge by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which disputed the administration’s authority to demolish the historic East Wing and erect a sprawling 90,000-square-foot ballroom without legislative authorization.
While the appeals court sustained the injunction, Sky News reported that it stayed the order for 14 days to give the Trump administration time to seek emergency relief from the US Supreme Court.
This legal feud stems from a lawsuit filed last year after crews began demolishing the East Wing. The preservation group argued that the White House overhaul breached federal law, maintaining that Congress never approved such a dramatic alteration to one of the nation’s most historic government landmarks.
Before the latest appellate order, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon restricted above-ground work twice while allowing underground construction at the site to proceed.
Leon argued that the administration lacks unilateral authority to launch such a project without legislative approval. In an earlier ruling, he noted that no existing federal statute “comes close” to granting the president the power to construct the proposed ballroom without Congress.
The Trump administration, however, maintains that the project serves as an operational and security imperative.
Backstory…
The latest ruling comes amid an ongoing legal and political battle over President Donald Trump’s plan to construct a new ballroom at the White House.
The proposed project, estimated to cost about $400 million, has faced scrutiny over its funding, scale and the administration’s decision to proceed with construction while legal challenges remain unresolved.
The controversy intensified after opponents challenged the project in court, arguing that the administration could not move ahead without following the required legal and preservation procedures.
The White House, however, has defended the ballroom project as necessary to provide a larger space for major state functions and official events, with Trump personally championing the plan.
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