Judge Denies Halt to White House Ballroom Construction

A federal judge in Washington on Thursday denied a preservation group's bid to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with the project for now.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation was unlikely to prevail on the merits of its request for a temporary injunction. In his written opinion, Leon noted that the lawsuit centered on President Donald Trump's constitutional authority to demolish and rebuild parts of the White House, rather than challenging the statutory basis for the privately funded initiative without congressional approval. "Unfortunately, because both sides initially focused on the President's constitutional authority to destruct and construct the East Wing of the White House, plaintiff didn't bring the necessary cause of action to test the statutory authority the President claims is the basis to do this construction project without the blessing of Congress and with private funds," Leon wrote. He suggested the group could strengthen its case by amending the complaint.

The National Trust, a nonprofit...