In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The court said it would stay its own ruling for two weeks to allow the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The two judges who led the ruling against Trump were Obama and Biden appointees.
The pair upheld an April 16 order from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon for the administration to halt above-ground work on the ballroom. In that ruling, Leon allowed for construction to continue on below-ground work on a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site.
Government lawyers have argued that the project includes critical security features to guard against a range of threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.
“These upgrades, alterations, and improvements are essential to protecting the President, his family, and his staff, as well as the White House itself, and the entire project flows from them,” government attorneys wrote in a court filing.
On April 2, Trump’s ballroom won final approval from the 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, which is charged with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region.
