US Appeals Court Halts Trump’s White House Ballroom Project

Washington – 08/07/2026: The planned White House ballroom has become a legal test case for the limits of presidential power. A Washington appeals court on Friday barred the administration of Donald Trump from proceeding with the project without explicit approval from Congress. The approximately 8,400-square-meter new building is to be constructed on the site of the former East Wing.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a preliminary order from the lower court by a two-to-one vote. According to the majority, a president cannot unilaterally authorize a construction project of this scale on the White House grounds. The ruling states that the Congress must decide on the construction.

However, the judges suspended the effect of their ruling for 14 days. This gives the administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court and seek a further stay there. A final halt to construction therefore does not take effect immediately. Without intervention by the Supreme Court or approval from Congress, however, the project may not continue once the deadline expires.

Trump responded on social media with sharp criticism. He described the decision as unfair and politically motivated, and announced that he would take the case to the Supreme Court. The White House had presented the hall as an expansion for official receptions and justified the project on security and modernization grounds. According to earlier information, the project was expected to cost around $400 million and be financed through private donations.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization established by Congress to protect historic sites. It accuses the administration of bypassing legally required procedures in the demolition of the East Wing and the subsequent new construction. A federal judge had already questioned in the spring whether existing regulations allowed the president to carry out such a far-reaching redesign without congressional approval.

The legal dispute extends beyond questions of architecture and official representation. At issue is who may decide on major changes to a building that is both the president’s official residence and a national monument. The appeals court majority emphasized that it was not assessing the ballroom as a construction concept, but solely the authority to approve it.

This creates a two-week transition period for the construction administration and workers. The administration can seek Supreme Court intervention, while Congress could establish a legal basis for the project. According to the National Trust, above-ground construction work is prohibited without congressional approval after the court’s deadline expires.