The legal fight over the Trump administration’s White House ballroom plans moved into a new phase Tuesday when a federal judge ordered the administration to halt construction on a project the administration has pursued after demolishing the East Wing. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction, setting a barrier to further work unless the project receives congressional approval.
Leon’s order followed a lawsuit by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which asked the court to pause the ballroom work while the group sought congressional authorization and additional review processes. In his ruling, Leon concluded the trust is likely to succeed on the merits and pointed to what he described as a lack of statutory authority for the president’s position on who can approve the changes.
In a pointed passage from the decision, Leon wrote that the president “is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families,” while adding: “He is not, however, the owner!” Leon also said “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” language that formed the basis for the court’s finding that the trust’s legal arguments have a strong likelihood of success.
The Trump administration moved quickly after the ruling, filing a notice to appeal, and President Donald Trump criticized the decision during remarks to reporters in the Oval Office. Trump said, “We built many things at the White House over the years. They don’t get congressional approval,” describing the project as part of a wider pattern of White House work that other administrations had carried out.
Even with the injunction in place, Leon’s ruling recognized that stopping an active construction project can raise practical problems. Leon temporarily suspended enforcement for 14 days, writing that the case “raises novel and weighty issues” and that halting ongoing construction “may raise logistical issues,” while also stating the government would be appealing his decision.
Leon’s injunction also carved out an exception for construction work necessary for the White House’s safety and security. Leon said he reviewed material that the government privately submitted to the court and concluded that halting other parts of the project would not jeopardize national security, while still allowing continued security-related work.
During a separate discussion of what could continue, Trump said the ruling would allow work on underground bunkers and other security measures around the White House grounds, while arguing that such efforts would be paid for through private donors he said would cover the ballroom cost. Trump also listed security-related measures he said were being built as the ballroom project proceeded during the period addressed by the decision.
The ballroom fight began gathering momentum after the White House announced the project and moved quickly on demolition. By late October, Trump had demolished the East Wing for a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom that he said would fit 999 people, according to the reporting. The project proceeded before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation eventually suing in December.
Before Tuesday’s injunction, Leon had rejected the group’s initial request to halt the ballroom project. Leon said at the time that the group’s early bid relied on what he described as a “ragtag group” of legal theories, and the lawsuit was later amended. In court proceedings described by the reporting, plaintiffs’ attorney Thaddeus Heuer argued that the project’s progress made timing urgent, saying, “We are two weeks away,” with the imminence “now imminent.”
Tuesday’s ruling also sets the stage for what happens next as additional approvals for the project are considered. The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to approve the addition on Thursday, and Stephen Staudigl, the commission spokesperson, said the judge’s ruling did not affect the Thursday schedule for that approval.
The ballroom case also reflects broader efforts by Trump to remodel major elements of the White House complex since returning to the presidency, including other physical upgrades and renovations discussed in court and in reporting. Leon’s decision, however, directly limits what can proceed on the ballroom itself unless Congress provides authorization, making the injunction an immediate check on the administration’s pace and approach.