A federal judge in Washington indicated Tuesday that he is unlikely to order the Trump administration to pause work right away on a planned $300 million White House ballroom, even as he weighs a lawsuit arguing the project stretches presidential authority beyond its limits.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon made the remarks during a hearing on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request for a temporary restraining order. Leon said he expects to issue a decision within a day.
What the lawsuit argues
The National Trust contends the administration moved ahead without required public-facing procedures. The group says officials failed to seek public input and did not consult advisory bodies that typically review changes affecting the White House, including the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. The lawsuit seeks to force the administration to follow procedural requirements intended to preserve public participation in decisions involving the historic complex.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has made visible changes to the White House, including adding gold-colored decorations to the Oval Office and paving over the Rose Garden lawn to create a patio modeled after his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The proposed ballroom, the group argues, would be far more extensive than those alterations.
Preservation advocates also criticized the demolition of the White House’s 120-year-old East Wing, saying the administration advanced the project without proper oversight. The lawsuit claims the work has already caused irreversible damage to the site.
The administration’s response
In a court filing Monday, the administration argued the project is lawful and consistent with earlier presidential renovations—citing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s construction of the East Wing. The filing also states the ballroom is needed for state functions, that its design is still being developed, and that no above-ground construction is planned until April—points the government says undercut the need for emergency relief.
At Tuesday’s hearing, a Justice Department attorney argued the preservation group lacks standing to sue. The attorney also said underground construction must continue for national security reasons, though those details were not discussed in open court. The attorney further argued that Trump is not subject to the federal laws the group says were violated.
What people are saying
Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X Tuesday, “Today @TheJusticeDept attorneys defeated an attempt to stop President Trump’s totally lawful East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project. President Trump has faced countless bad-faith left-wing legal attacks — this was no different. We will continue defending the President’s project in court in the coming weeks.”
The National Trust’s lawsuit said, “No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever — not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else.”
The administration said in a filing Monday, “The President possesses statutory authority to modify the structure of his residence, and that authority is supported by background principles of Executive power.”
What happens next
Leon said he plans to hold another hearing in January.
