A federal appeals court affirmed a federal judge’s ruling to block construction of the White House ballroom while allowing below-ground construction to move forward.
A federal appeals court said the White House lacks the authority to unilaterally construct the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. President Trump said the administration will appeal to the Supreme Court.
A D.C. Circuit panel ruled 2-1 that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, authority over changes to the White House.
A federal appeals court panel blocked President Trump’s White House ballroom in a 2-1 vote on Friday, saying that work must stop except for below-ground construction, including installations Trump says are needed for security. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel ruled that Congress retains control over funding for development at the White House and [...]
A federal appeals court panel blocked President Trump’s White House ballroom in a 2-1 vote on Friday, saying that work must stop except for below-ground construction, including installations Trump says are needed for security. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel ruled that Congress retains control over funding for development at the White House and…
A federal appeals court ordered President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop construction on a $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, dealing the Republican leader a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority. “Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House” and...
An appeals court ruled against the Trump administration and blocked the construction of the White House ballroom on the basis that it was not properly approved.President Donald Trump has urged the speedy construction of the ballroom after the alleged attempt on his life at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April.'The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming the interests of individuals, and that no court can stop it flouts our constitutional order.'On Friday, an appeals court ruled in a 2-1 decision that the president had acted "lawlessly" by demolishing the East Wing of the White House in order to build the ballroom without congressional approval."Executive actions that take control of that property out of the hands of the people's representatives while irreparably harming the historical and visual architecture of perhaps the most prominent public building in the United States seriously intrude on the public interest," two judges wrote in the joint majority opinion.However, the administration has two weeks to seek relief from the U.S. Supreme Court.If the court does not intervene, above-ground construction at the White House would need to stop.RELATED: Liz Warren launches investigation into Trump's White House ballroom — the backlash is hilarious The president has argued that security concerns necessitated the construction of the ballroom with increased law enforcement features. The appeals court found that these concerns could have been addressed without ignoring federal statutes on project funding."The bold assertion that the Executive can act with utter lawlessness, destroying treasured national landmarks and harming the interests of individuals, and that no court can stop it flouts our constitutional order," the two judges said. "While this court accords great weight and deference to invocations of national security and the safety of the President, such arguments are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card," they continued.In her dissenting opinion, Judge Neomi Rao agreed with the administration and said the security concerns outweighed the legal concerns brought up by the plaintiff, the National Trust for Historic Preservation.The group praised the decision in a statement, citing the 250th anniversary of the country."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," the trust said. "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."While the president has touted the private money being used to construct the ballroom, the contractor has since said the budget has surged to $600 million, according to a Washington Post report. The gap will reportedly be filled in by taxpayer funding. The two judges who ruled against the ballroom were Patricia Millett, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, and Bradley Garcia, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden.Judge Neomi Rao is a Trump appointee.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
A federal appeals court says Congress should have approved President Trump's White House ballroom project, ordering above-ground construction halted while pausing its ruling to allow the administration to appeal. NBC News’ Ryan Nobles reports.
This live blog is now closed.Appeals court halts construction of Trump’s $400m White House ballroomSign up for the Breaking News US emailFollowing Lisa Murkowski’s announcement that she plans to vote “no” on Todd Blanche’s nomination to lead the Department of Justice, the acting attorney general can’t afford another defection in order to secure the permanent position.So far the only other holdout is Senator Bill Cassidy – a GOP lawmaker from Louisiana. Cassidy, a former physician, said this week he’s concerned about Blanche’s ability to lead the justice department independently, considering he once served as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. Continue reading...
President Donald Trump’s construction blitz seeking to modernize the East Wing of the White House appears to have been handed a major setback after a federal appeals […]