Judge says he is unlikely to immediately halt Trump's $300 million White House ballroom project
Judge Leon permits above-ground ballroom construction but limits below-ground work to prevent irreversible changes, requiring plan submissions by year-end in a $300 million project.
- By December 16, 2025, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation's motion to temporarily block ballroom construction but barred construction crews from building below-ground structures for two weeks.
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last week, alleging demolition and work began without submitting plans to the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts and seeking an emergency pause until Congress authorizes and environmental reviews occur.
- Crews have already demolished much of the East Wing, while U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon warned underground work set to finish in coming months must not dictate the ballroom's size, and Justice Department attorney Adam Gustafson said designs remain "in progress".
- The court set the administration to meet with the National Capital Planning Commission by the end of December and scheduled hearings for mid‑January and the second week of January.
- The administration says the $300 million White House ballroom has National Park Service backing, expects completion by summer 2028, and argues executive renovations are beyond court review.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Federal judge reveals how he may order Trump's ballroom to be 'taken down': report
CNN reports U.S. District Judge Richard Leon (a George W. Bush appointee) will not halt work on President Donald Trump’s $300 million ballroom, but he said he would hear arguments early next year about whether to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction against the project.“The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last week over the sprawling, privately funded project, claiming the White House has been unlawfully carrying out the cons…
Judge Says He’s Unlikely to Block Construction of White House Ballroom, for Now
WASHINGTON—A federal judge said on Dec. 16 that he is unlikely to block President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 90,000 square-foot ballroom on White House grounds, at least for now. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon told the court that the violation of the plaintiff’s procedural right to comment on the plans was probably not enough to show irreparable harm, and did not justify the request for a temporary emergency block. Leon told the court he w…
Trump's $300M White House ballroom makeover gets green light
President Donald Trump's crusade to give the White House a $300 million ballroom was allowed to proceed on Tuesday, as a federal judge denied an emergency request to halt the posh project.U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a Bush-appointed judge, rejected a request from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to stop the renovation, finding that allowing subsurface work to proceed posed merely a minimal risk of permanently damaging the proje…
Judge warns Trump administration against 'irreversible' White House ballroom construction work
Federal judge Richard Leon says he's inclined to deny bid to halt Trump administration's White House ballroom construction but warns against irreversible work before January hearing.
Federal judge unlikely to block White House ballroom construction
A federal judge said Tuesday that he is unlikely to grant a nonprofit organization’s request to halt construction of the planned ballroom at the White House, after it filed an emergency request in court for him to do so late last week. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon was deeply skeptical of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request, stating that he is disinclined to halt construction because the group failed to demonstrate harm dur…
Federal judge seems unconvinced that White House should stop ballroom construction
Federal Judge Richard J. Leon said Tuesday that he was inclined to deny a request by the National Trust for Preservation for a temporary restraining order to halt construction on the White House ballroom.
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