A federal appeals court on Friday blocked construction of the ballroom at the White House, ruling that the project cannot move forward without congressional approval.
After the East Wing was torn down, the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued and won a preliminary injunction stopping the above-ground ballroom work. The D.C. Circuit upheld that order, allowing only underground security construction to continue.
The court said Congress controls federal property in Washington and must give clear permission before any new building goes up, and that the President is only a temporary resident of the White House who cannot tear down major parts of it or put up a huge new structure on his own.
