A federal judge on Thursday issued a revised order halting above-ground construction of the Trump administration’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom, while permitting certain below-ground work tied to national security to proceed.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said construction may continue only if it is “strictly necessary to cover, secure, and protect such national security facilities,” and does not lock in the final size or scope of the planned structure.
The ruling follows direction from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which instructed Leon to clarify his earlier March 31 injunction that broadly blocked all construction activity on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom planned for the former East Wing site, demolished last year.
The legal challenge was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is seeking to stop the project entirely. Leon had previously declined to intervene, but reversed course in March.
