Appeals Court Weighs Trump's $400 Million East Wing Ballroom as Construction Defies March Order
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 5
Appeals Court Weighs Trump's $400 Million East Wing Ballroom as Construction Defies March Order
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 5
Summary
A three-judge federal appeals panel is set to hear arguments Friday on whether Trump had any legal authority to bulldoze part of the White House East Wing for a new ballroom.
The case centers on Congress’s role: Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that the project lacked any legal path without statutory authorization and ordered construction to stop unless lawmakers approved it.
Construction has continued for seven months despite that challenge, with the 123-year-old East Wing being replaced as Trump pushes what he sees as a legacy-defining project.
Costs have already doubled to $400 million, and the appeal is shaping into a broader test of whether courts will enforce congressional limits on Trump’s effort to remake federal Washington.