Federal judge allows White House ballroom construction to continue, rejects request to halt project

A federal judge ruled Thursday that construction of the White House ballroom may continue, in denying an attempt by a preservationist group to halt the full, tear-down renovation, at least temporarily.U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Richard Leon, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, ruled against the group’s December 2025 request for a temporary injunction.
The judge said he could address the “novel and weighty issues” related to the request by the plaintiff, the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S., without an ammende challenge because the White House Office of the Executive Residence is not a government agency, CBS News reported.
The group is suing the Trump administration for allegedly failing to follow federal guidelines before demolition and construction on the White House. Also, the Trust questioned the construction project’s funding mechanism, which comes from $400 million that President Trump claimed to have raised from private donors and major corporations.
Leon wrote that the Trust “bases its challenge on a ragtag group of theories,” adding that because the executive residence is “likely not an agency” under the Administrative Procedures Act, the preservationist group may not challenge the construction under that law.
“Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President’s constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn’t bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds,” Leon wrote, noting that if the Trust amends its challenge, he will reconsider their new arguments. 
Last week, a commission that advises the federal government on architecture and arts in Washington, D.C., voted to give final approval to Trump’s White House ballroom construction project. The commission’s members were all appointed by Trump after he fired the previous members in October.
The commission’s secretary, Thomas Luebke, said that the commission’s unanimous, fast-tracked decision was made despite public comments that were “overwhelmingly in opposition” to the construction project. Architectural experts and the public who weighed in on the design said it was too big and faulted the White House for bypassing the typical approval process, Leubke said.
The National Capital Planning Commission is expected to declare its verdict on the White House renovation early next month.

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