US Edition
Judge who halted White House ballroom construction allows national security work to proceed at site
The ruling lets security-related excavation continue while rejecting the administration’s claim that all ballroom work qualifies as protected national security construction.
- On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon blocked above-ground construction of the $400 million White House ballroom while permitting below-ground excavations for national security facilities, staying enforcement for seven days to allow potential appeals.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued in December 2025, arguing the administration bypassed congressional authorization when demolishing the White House East Wing to make way for the ballroom project.
- President Donald Trump defended the $400 million project as "vital for National Security," citing bomb shelters and hospital facilities, but Leon rejected his arguments, writing that "national security is not a blank check to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity."
- Administration officials immediately indicated plans to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, with the seven-day stay providing time to seek Supreme Court review.
- Congressional approval remains necessary for above-ground ballroom construction, as the court maintained the president is a "steward" of the White House rather than its "owner," reinforcing judicial limits on executive power.
191 Articles
191 Articles
What We Know About the ‘Massive’ Military Complex Being Built Beneath the White House
An excavator works to clear rubble after the East Wing of the White House was demolished in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23, 2025. The demolition is part of President Donald Trump's plan to build a multimillion-dollar ballroom on the eastern side of the White House. —Eric Lee—Getty ImagesAs the court battle over President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom drags on, his planned reconstruction of an underground military complex is being pulled into…
mannheim24.de
fr.deA judge forbids further work on the 90,000-square-foot cultivation for Trump's VIP hosting. He only allows measures for security and underground work that are deemed necessary. An analysis.
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe construction of the ballroom remains prohibited. Trump calls the judge "extremely political" and "out of control"
U.S. President Trump is planning several new prestigious buildings that will occupy the courts, and the construction of a "violent complex" under the White House has now been approved.
Columbus Telegram
News & RecordCourt: Stop the White House ballroom build
WASHINGTON — A federal judge ruled again Thursday that President Donald Trump's plan to build a White House ballroom without congressional approval was unlawful, faulting the Republican president for claiming national security requirements demanded the project move forward.
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