By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a preservationist group’s request to block the Trump administration from continuing construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that The National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its bid to temporarily halt President Donald Trump’s project.
Leon said the group has a better chance of success if it amended its lawsuit.
“Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President’s constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, Plaintiff didn’t bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds,” he wrote.
The White House, including the West Wing and construction of the new ballroom, is seen from the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) The White House and the West Wing is seen Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The White House is viewed from the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) Show Caption1 of 4The White House, including the West Wing and construction of the new ballroom, is seen from the Old Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) ExpandThe privately funded group sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.
The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer. By late October, the Republican president had demolished the East Wing to make way for a ballroom that he said will fit 999 people. The White House said private donations, including from Trump himself, would pay for the planned construction of a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom.
Trump proceeded with the project before seeking input from a pair of federal review panels, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump, a Republican, has stocked both commission with allies.
Related Articles
What to know about Defense Protection Act and the Pentagon’s Anthropic ultimatum Family of UN human rights investigator sues Trump administration over sanctions for Israel criticism Pakistani man is on trial over Trump assassination plot with ties to Iran, US prosecutors say Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to allow an end to legal protections for Syrian migrants FBI fires agents who worked on Trump classified document investigation, AP sources sayHence then, the article about judge rejects request to block trump white house from building its 400 million ballroom project was published today ( ) and is available on Ukiah Daily Journal ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Judge rejects request to block Trump White House from building its $400 million ballroom project )
Also on site :
- Is Luke Thompson Returning to ‘Bridgerton’ Season 5? Star Breaks Silence on Benedict’s Future (Exclusive)
- Homemade dumplings are a Lunar New Year staple. Last week, a cafe invited those who’d never made them to give it a try.
- Zimbabwe bans raw mineral exports