A federal judge is set to hear arguments today in a lawsuit aimed at stopping President Donald Trump’s proposed $300 million ballroom on the White House grounds, marking the first court challenge to the ambitious construction project.
The case was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues that the administration moved ahead with plans for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom without completing mandatory reviews or securing required approvals. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon scheduled the hearing for 3:30 p.m. (2030 GMT).
According to the lawsuit, the administration bypassed laws requiring consultation with the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts before dismantling the East Wing and beginning work on the new structure. The preservation group said it filed suit to compel the government to comply, at the very least, “with the procedural requirements that inform and protect the public’s opportunity to comment on the Ballroom Project.”
Opponents of the project say visible construction activity around the White House’s 120-year-old East Wing has already raised alarms and triggered backlash, with critics contending the scope of the work goes beyond what a president is permitted to undertake unilaterally.
“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the National Trust’s lawsuit said.
The organization is asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order to pause construction while the case proceeds, claiming the work has already inflicted what it calls “irreversible damage” on the White House and its surrounding grounds.
In court filings submitted Monday, the administration pushed back, asserting that the project is lawful and consistent with historical precedent. Government lawyers pointed to prior presidential renovations, including Franklin D. Roosevelt’s addition of the East Wing itself, and argued that the new ballroom is necessary to accommodate official state functions. They also said the design is still being refined and that above-ground construction is not expected to begin until April, making emergency judicial intervention unwarranted.
“The President possesses statutory authority to modify the structure of his residence, and that authority is supported by background principles of Executive power,” the filing said.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has overseen a series of high-profile changes to the White House, including adding gold accents to the Oval Office and replacing the Rose Garden lawn with a paved patio reminiscent of the setting at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
The outcome of today’s hearing could determine whether the ballroom project proceeds as planned or is put on hold while the legal challenge moves forward.
{Matzav.com}
