Judge inclined to deny bid to halt White House ballroom construction
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A federal judge on Tuesday said he was “inclined to reject” a bid to force the Trump administration to halt construction of the White House ballroom but warned officials not to engage in any irreversible work that could halt the project before a hearing in January.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said he would hold another hearing in the second week of January and hinted he might still order a recess.
Leon said “any underground construction” that necessitates above-ground work should be avoided in the coming weeks, adding “be prepared to handle it.”
Lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the US argued that the case was not about the need for a ballroom but about the need to comply with the law.
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Democratic leaders and liberal media figures condemned President Donald Trump for breaking ground on the White House ballroom construction project. (Andrew Harnik/Getty)
They said any construction on federal land requires congressional approval.
Lawyers representing the National Park Service said President Trump has the authority to direct construction at the White House and said “work should continue on matters of national security.”
“See you in January,” Leon said, while warning the government not to pursue anything that is irreversible.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in Tuesday evening.
“Today @TheJusticeDept lawyers defeated President Trump’s attempt to stop the perfectly legal East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project,” he wrote to X. “President Trump has faced countless malicious legal attacks from the left; this was no different. We will continue to defend the President’s project in court in the coming weeks.”
On Monday, the Trump administration argued in a court filing that pausing construction would harm national security, citing the Secret Service’s warning that halting work would result in the facility failing to meet “safety and security requirements” necessary to protect President Donald Trump.
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U.S. President Donald Trump shows a view of his planned ballroom during his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
In the declaration, it was stated that the East Wing, which was demolished in October and whose basic construction work is currently continuing, cannot be left unfinished without compromising basic security measures.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit last week to stop the project, arguing that the government must follow federal review procedures before beginning any irreversible work.
The proposed 90,000-square-foot addition, now estimated at more than $300 million, would occupy the Executive Residence and permanently alter the historic design of the White House, the group said.
Management said it was still early in the case, noting that regulatory reviews were still coming and high-end construction wasn’t scheduled to begin until April 2026.
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The National Trust said early intervention was necessary, citing warnings from architectural historians who said the ballroom would be the most significant exterior change to the White House in more than 80 years.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
