A federal judge on Tuesday ordered construction of a planned White House ballroom project to be halted, siding with a historic preservation group that argued the effort violated federal law. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the group is likely to succeed on the merits of its case, writing that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” according to the ruling.
The injunction temporarily stops work on the project, though the judge delayed enforcement for 14 days to allow the White House time to appeal, Fox News reported.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal almost immediately on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, formally challenging the district court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the project.
The lawsuit was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the project required congressional authorization before proceeding.
In his ruling, Leon said construction could move forward if Congress explicitly approves the project or authorizes funding, emphasizing that lawmakers retain authority over federal property and expenditures.
In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump blasted the lawsuit, calling the National Trust for Historic Preservation a “Radical Left Group of Lunatics” while defending the ballroom project as “under budget” and “being built at no cost to the taxpayer.”
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sues me for a Ballroom that is under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World,” the president wrote.
Trump also noted in a separate post that no similar White House construction projects ever needed congressional approval.
“In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG! Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House. In this case, even less so, because the Ballroom is being built with Private Donations, no Federal Taxpayer Money!” he wrote.
Trump shared renderings of the proposed White House ballroom last month on the social media platform Truth Social. The designs include Greco-Roman-style columns and a structure spanning approximately 90,000 square feet, according to a White House release.
Since returning to office, Trump has promoted several renovation and beautification efforts in Washington, D.C., including planned construction at the Trump-Kennedy Center and a recent cleanup project at the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
In a post on Truth Social in February, Trump showed off the vision for his “on budget and ahead of schedule” White House Ballroom in a new rendering of the East Wing structure shown from the back of the property.
“When completed, it will be the finest Ballroom ever built anywhere in the World, one that has been sought by Presidents for over 150 years — and now they are getting THE BEST! Because of its unprecedented structural, safety, and security features, it will also be used for future Presidential Inaugurations,” Trump wrote.
Inaugurations have historically been held at the U.S. Capitol. The 89,000 square feet of the rebuilt East Wing will be centered around a 22,000-square-foot banquet hall, which Bloomberg says will be one of the biggest dining rooms in Washington, D.C.
There will be a new movie theater and office space for first lady Melania Trump and her staff in the rest of the East Wing.
There will be two levels in the ballroom: one with offices and a screening room, and the other with the banquet hall itself. The outside of the building will be made of stone and precast concrete.
The president’s newest rendering comes months after the historic East Wing was torn down last October to make room for the new ballroom.