The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday upheld a ruling that the Trump administration must receive congressional approval before it continues construction on a ballroom on the former site of the White House’s East Wing.
The 2-1 ruling affirmed the preliminary injunction granted in March by Judge Richard J. Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
That ruling includes an exemption for certain activities to address safety and security while the injunction is in place, which Leon later narrowed to specify that no above-ground construction could occur. The site would have security facilities, including a bunker, underneath the ballroom.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit on Dec. 12, 2025, argued that the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act and National Environmental Policy Act by demolishing the East Wing and moving forward with construction of the ballroom without consulting with the National Capital Planning Commission or the Commission of Fine Arts, without conducting an environmental assessment and without getting approval from Congress.
Judges Patricia Millett, an Obama appointee, and Brad Garcia, a Biden appointee, wrote Friday’s joint majority opinion.
