D.C. Appeals Court Orders New Review of Trump White House Ballroom Halt Over Security Risks

A three‑judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has sent a lower‑court injunction blocking President Trump’s $400 million White House East Wing ballroom project back to U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, ordering him to more clearly explain how his halt affects planned security upgrades. Leon ruled March 31 that Trump likely lacks statutory authority to build the 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom without congressional approval and temporarily barred most work, while carving out activity he deemed necessary for White House safety after reviewing classified submissions. The administration argues the project includes heavily fortified underground bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility meant to protect against drones, missiles and biohazards, and warns that halting construction "would imperil the President and others who live and work in the White House." The appeals court noted that government filings first cast the below‑ground security work as distinct from the ballroom, but now describe the security upgrades as "inseparable," leaving it unclear which elements must proceed to protect the president; it extended Leon’s stay of his own injunction through April 17 to give the administration time to seek Supreme Court review. The case, brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation after the White House demolished the existing East Wing, has become a flashpoint over presidential control of the executive mansion, statutory limits on spending without Congress, and how broadly national‑security claims can be used to justify large building projects at the White House.