Appeals Court Blocks Trump’s Lavish White House Ballroom Pending Supreme Court Review
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A D.C. Circuit panel upheld an injunction halting the Trump administration’s extravagant $400 million White House ballroom project, reaffirming congressional oversight and giving 14 days for Supreme Court appeal.
In a significant rebuke to unchecked executive power, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., delivered a split 2-1 decision halting the Trump administration’s reckless push to construct a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing. The ruling upholds a preliminary injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which rightly argued that Congress had not authorized this wasteful and ostentatious project.
The majority opinion emphasized that decisions about such a massive addition to the nation’s most symbolic residence are a matter for Congress, not a playground for presidential vanity. The court made clear that the President cannot unilaterally redesign the White House to suit personal whims, reaffirming the necessity of checks and balances.
The order is paused for 14 days, giving the administration a window to appeal to the Supreme Court. Predictably, the White House and Justice Department failed to respond to requests for comment, evading accountability.
This injunction follows previous district court rulings that blocked above-ground construction but allowed underground work to proceed. Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth attempted to justify the administration’s actions by citing national-security concerns and the project’s private funding, but preservation lawyer Thaddeus Heuer exposed the administration’s blatant attempt to sidestep congressional approval and undermine democratic oversight.