White House ballroom project temporarily halted by judge
The White House ballroom project has been temporarily halted by a US judge, who has ruled that proper procedures were not followed before the project began.
Federal judge Richard J Leon ruled on Tuesday with a 35-page opinion that construction must stop on the new East Wing Modernisation Project, which includes the massive ballroom, and seek Congressional approval.
"The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families," said the ruling.
"He is not, however, the owner!"
The case was brought to court by the National Trust for Historic Preservation against the National Park Service, which manages the land, in December 2025 on the basis that the project had gone forward without proper review.
"The ballroom construction project must stop"
In February 2026, Leon denied the injunction, asking for amendments to the complaint.
According to the New York Times, Leon has presided over "months of litigation" before stepping in this week to issue a decision on the amended case, just two days ahead of a National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) meeting where the project was set to be reviewed for approval.
"I have concluded that the National Trust is likely to succeed on the merits because no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," wrote Leon in his opinion.
"As such, I must therefore grant the National Trust's Motion for a Preliminary Injunction, and the ballroom construction project must stop until Congress authorizes its completion."
The analysis states that the law vests "Congress with complete authority over public lands" and that President Trump has acted beyond his powers in his construction of the White House ballroom.
"The principal question before the Court is whether the President has 'stepped so plainly beyond the bounds of [his statutory authority], or acted so clearly in defiance of it, as to warrant the immediate intervention of an equity court.'," wrote Leon.
"Unfortunately, he has!"
The ruling noted that the president is authorised to dedicate a fixed sum of $2,475,000 only to the repair and maintenance of the White House.
The order will go into effect in two weeks and leave the project pending congressional approval.
After the ruling, the president called the National Trust for Historic Preservation a "Radical Left Group of Lunatics whose funding was stopped by Congress in 2005" on his Truth Social account.
Victory for Olmsted, Jr
Also noted in the ruling was the disruption to the landscape.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation CEO Charles Birnbaum told Dezeen that the ruling adheres to the original intent of the White House grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
"This is an important victory for the rule of law and a clear recognition of the importance of the Organic Act of 1916, which created the National Park Service and is cited seven times in the judge's ruling," Birnbaum told Dezeen.
"It's also a victory for Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr, principal author of the Organic Act and landscape architect responsible for the design of the White House Grounds – his dignified 1935 plan has guided National Park Service stewardship for nearly a century."
It is unclear how the ruling might affect the planned NCPC meeting, which was delayed after thousands of public commenters flooded the submissions portal for the project.
The project has stirred up debate across the country, after the administration demolished the East Wing last fall. Currently, the site is full of construction equipment and debris.
Since then, two different architecture studios have worked on the proposed 90,000-square-foot (8,361-square-metre) ballroom, which is meant to expand the hosting capabilities.
The Trump administration is embroiled in another lawsuit filed on behalf of eight architecture and preservation organisations over the proposed renovations to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
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