The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered the Trump administration to stop above‑ground construction on a $400 million ballroom planned for the former East Wing of the White House, ruling that congressional approval is required. The panel stayed its order for 14 days to allow an appeal to the Supreme Court.
The 2‑1 decision was authored by Judges Patricia Millett and Brad Garcia, with Judge Neomi Rao dissenting. It upheld a preliminary injunction issued by Judge Richard Leon after the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued over demolition of the East Wing without an environmental review or Congress’s consent. The project, privately funded by donors such as Amazon, Palantir, Lockheed Martin and Coinbase, includes an underground security bunker and had been cleared by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.
The ruling reinforces limits on executive authority to reshape historic federal property and delays the privately financed ballroom until Congress acts. Congressional Republicans have introduced legislation to authorize the project but have not advanced it, and the case may proceed to the Supreme Court, highlighting a potential flashpoint between the executive and legislative branches.
Judge Rao argued the National Trust lacks standing and that national‑security considerations outweigh preservation concerns, while President Trump labeled the decision politically motivated and a threat to security, pledging to seek reversal from the high court.