Trump Could Bulldoze Statue of Liberty and Courts Could Not Intervene, DOJ Lawyer Tells Appeals Court
The panel weighed whether courts can block unilateral landmark changes before damage occurs as the ballroom case continues and construction is allowed to proceed.
- During a federal appeals court hearing over President Trump's White House ballroom project, a Justice Department lawyer argued that courts lack authority to stop the project and that only Congress could intervene.
- Judge Patricia Millett tested that argument with a hypothetical scenario involving the demolition of the Statue of Liberty, asking whether courts would be powerless to act if such a project had already begun.
- DOJ attorney Yaakov Roth responded that the judge's characterization was essentially correct, drawing attention to the administration's position on judicial limits in the case.
- The legal dispute stems from Trump's plan to build a roughly $400 million ballroom on the site of the former White House East Wing, which preservation groups say was demolished and redeveloped without required approvals from Congress.
- The case is viewed as a broader test of presidential authority and the ability of courts to review executive actions, with an appeals court ruling expected in the coming weeks.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Trump administration tells appeals court White House ballroom project must continue
A lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration told an appeals court on Friday that construction of a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing had gone too far to be stopped, in a case testing the limits of presidential authority.
Associated Press News
Court can't stop Trump ballroom construction, government lawyer tells judge
Lawyers representing the federal government argue that a court cannot stop construction of a White House ballroom because it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address.
Appeals court majority appears sympathetic to White House ballroom challenge
A majority on a three-judge appeals court panel appeared sympathetic to a challenge to President Trump’s White House ballroom project at oral arguments Friday. The two Democratic-appointed judges pressed the government on its arguments that Congress has already given all necessary approvals and that a preservationist group has no right to sue. “If the government decided very quickly and bulldozed the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancesto…
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