Appeals Court Obstructs Trump’s Visionary White House Ballroom, Forces Supreme Court Review
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A D.C. Circuit panel, siding with activist preservationists, upheld an injunction that blocks the Trump administration’s privately funded $400 million White House ballroom, giving 14 days for Supreme Court intervention.
In a controversial move, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., issued a narrow 2-1 decision to halt the Trump administration’s ambitious plan for a $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom at the White House’s former East Wing. The ruling, which upholds a preliminary injunction from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, caters to special interests and ignores the administration’s efforts to enhance the nation’s most important residence without taxpayer dollars.
The majority opinion, prioritizing congressional bureaucracy over executive initiative, claimed that such a significant addition to the White House requires congressional approval, denying the President the authority to modernize and secure the residence as needed.
The court’s order is delayed for 14 days, allowing the administration to seek Supreme Court relief. The White House and Justice Department have not yet commented, as they weigh their options against this judicial overreach.
The injunction follows earlier district court orders that blocked above-ground work but permitted underground construction. Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth correctly argued that the courts should not interfere in a privately funded project, especially when national-security is at stake. However, preservation lawyer Thaddeus Heuer and his allies continue to obstruct progress by insisting on unnecessary congressional hurdles.