Judge blocks above-ground construction of White House ballroom

In a revised ruling Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from above-ground construction work on the controversial proposed White House ballroom.

But Judge Richard Leon’s order allows the administration to continue underground construction, including work on national security facilities.

Leon also allows above-ground construction that, in his opinion, is “absolutely necessary to cover, secure and protect such national security facilities,” provided that such construction “does not lock into the above-ground size and scale of the ballroom.” Injunction in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C..

The ruling came five days after the federal Court of Appeals in D.C. told Leon to clarify its previous ruling, issued March 31, barring the Trump administration from taking any action to build the planned $400 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing of the White House once stood. The East Wing was demolished last year to make room for the project at the behest of President Donald Trump.

The appeals court specifically told Leon to reconsider the potential national security consequences of blocking construction.

National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States is suing the Trump administration to prevent the ballroom from being built.

In his two previous decisions, Leon rejected this group’s demands to stop the project.

But inside Interim injunction decision dated March 31 Speaking against the ballroom, Leon said no legislation “could come close” to giving Trump the authority to build such a structure at the White House without permission from Congress.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. But he is not the owner,” Leon wrote in a memorandum explaining his decision that day. he wrote.

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