A federal judge on Feb. 26 denied preservationists’ request to halt construction on President Donald Trump’s planned White House State Ballroom, allowing excavation and foundation work to continue as the project approaches a March 5 vote by the National Capital Planning Commission.
In a 22-page memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation did not present an adequate legal claim to test whether the president exceeded legal authority to move forward with the $400 million project without additional approval from Congress. “Until then, however, I have no choice but to deny plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction for lack of likelihood of success on the merits,” Leon wrote.
A separate order formally denied the preliminary injunction and related motions to stay.
Demolition of the old East Wing was completed last fall and the site has been moved to heavy civil and structural work. Court filings describe excavation underway, with footings and structural concrete scheduled for January and February. Satellite images reviewed on February 18 showed no visible construction above grade, in line with the administration’s position that the National Capital Planning Commission’s jurisdiction ascribes to “vertical construction.”
The roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom, funded primarily by private donors, was announced on July 31, 2025. Factual court records point to heavy equipment and a crane on site, with below-grade structural elements moving forward this month.
The legal dispute centers on whether existing federal law allows the president to modify the White House complex without additional approval from Congress. The administration argues that the laws governing the financing and administration of the Executive Residence authorize the project using available funds and private donations. The plaintiffs claim that federal law requires explicit approval from Congress before new construction can proceed on public land in Washington.
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Leon rejected the plaintiffs’ Administrative Procedure Act claims as argued, stating that the Office of Executive Residence, which directs the project, is likely not an “agency” subject to APA review.
But the opinion does not go so far as to endorse the position of the administration. Leon wrote that if the National Trust amends its complaint to claim the president acted beyond his statutory authority, the court would “quickly consider it.”
The ruling removes the immediate risk of an emergency shutdown, but leaves open a path for renewed judicial scrutiny as the project nears the federal planning threshold.
The US Commission of Fine Arts granted concept-level approval on February 19, addressing height, massing and architectural compatibility. The final authorization for the construction at a higher level corresponds to the National Capital Planning Commission, which will be voted on March 5.
With the injunction denied, below-grade construction can continue while the litigation continues. If the vertical work moves forward on schedule, it now spins on two parallel tracks: the outcome of the upcoming NCPC vote and whether the plaintiffs reframed their claims to directly challenge the project’s statutory basis.
