A federal judge once again issued an order halting construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom until its gets "express authorization from Congress," finding the administration's attempt to sidestep his previous ruling "incredible, if not disingenuous."
U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon's earlier ruling on March 31 asking to halt construction excluded "actions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds."
The Trump administration argued in an April 3 motion that the entire ballroom construction needed to proceed or it would leave the Executive Mansion "open and exposed" and create "grave national-security harms" to the building, the president and his family and staff.
In his April 16 ruling, Leon sought to set to clarify his earlier injunction.
"Defendants now seek to tum this exception on its head and unreasonably insist that the entire ballroom project may proceed," Leon wrote. "Defendants argue that the entire ballroom construction project, from tip to tail, falls within the safety-and-security exception and therefore may proceed unabated. That is neither a reasonable nor a correct reading of my Order!"
