A federal appeals court has officially blocked further construction on the planned White House ballroom. Per the NY Post, the DC Circuit judges ruled that the massive project requires explicit congressional approval before it can move forward, and that the executive branch doesn’t have unilateral power to reshape the White House for a president’s desires. It is a major legal hurdle for a project that has already seen the demolition of the historic East Wing.
The legal battle stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in December of last year. Per AP News, the nonprofit argued that President Trump and the National Park Service lacked the authority to destroy the historic structure or build a new one without a green light from Congress.
