Construction on the White House ballroom must stop, a federal appeals court rules

President Donald Trump’s plan to build a 90,000 square-foot, privately-funded ballroom next to the White House has been mired in political and legal quagmire. That still hasn’t shut down work on the sprawling structure, which has been steadily rising from the ground since it broke ground last autumn.

But a federal appeals court ruled Friday that construction on the ballroom site cannot continue without direct congressional approval. The 2-1 decision, handed down by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, upheld an earlier decision by a district court to block work on the project.

‘Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence,’ the court wrote. ‘The President has no – and claims no – constitutionally assigned authority over that property, which is designed and maintained for the use of all Presidents, current and future, and for the American people.’

The decision marks another chapter in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that advocates for historic buildings and sites across the US, against the National Parks Service, the federal agency that oversees the White House and its grounds.

‘This is a great day for our country and for the American people's right to voice their opinions about the historic places they cherish, including the White House,’ said National Trust president and CEO Brent Leggs in a statement. ‘From the beginning, our position has been clear and consistent: the law states that only Congress can authorize the construction of a ballroom at the White House.’

‘This decision is particularly meaningful as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and advocate for renewed protections for historic preservation,’ Leggs added.

The defendants have 14 days to decide whether to appeal the decision.

President Trump, however, was clear about next steps. ‘We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court,’ he wrote on Truth Social – indicating that the ballroom battle is far from over.