(FILES) A view of the ongoing construction of a helipad (L) and ballroom (R) at the White House, as seen from the Washington Monument observation deck in Washington, DC on July 23, 2026. An appeals court on August 7, upheld a US judge’s order to halt construction on President Donald Trump’s prized White House ballroom, but issued a two-week delay to enforcement for a possible Supreme Court appeal. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP)
An appeals court on Friday upheld an order halting work on Donald Trump’s prized White House ballroom, enraging the US leader and setting up another Supreme Court battle over the limits of presidential authority.
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, which had allowed construction to continue while it considered the case, agreed with a lower court that such a massive White House overhaul required the explicit consent of Congress.
It stayed its own decision for two weeks to give Trump time to ask the Supreme Court to intervene.
The Republican president lashed out after the 2-1 ruling, calling it “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful.”
