An appeals court has ruled that construction for the White House ballroom can resume, granting President Donald Trump a legal win as he races to finish one of the biggest infrastructure projects of his second term.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 ruling, granted the Trump administration a temporary stay on a lower court ruling halting the project. Construction can now continue until at least April 17.
The ruling punts the case back to District Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, who spiritedly ruled against the $400 million ballroom, arguing it needed congressional approval. The D.C. appeals court urged Leon to reconsider the Trump administration’s argument that speedy construction is necessary for national security.
The national security rationale for the ballroom is that it is “a vital project for the safety and security of the White House and the President, his family, and his staff,” Trump’s lawyers have argued.
Part of the project does include a “massive” military bunker, as well as bulletproof and “drone-proof” roofs and ceilings.
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The bunker itself is largely a rebuild of the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, a secure bunker for the president and his team that sat beneath the East Wing. It was demolished last year to make room for the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Saturday’s ruling is welcome news for Trump, who is trying to complete the ballroom by summer 2028. He has long said the project will not use any taxpayer dollars, instead relying on his own money and Big Tech donors.