A federal judge on Thursday denied a legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s proposed White House ballroom project, clearing the way for construction to move forward on the estimated $400 million expansion.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected an injunction sought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had asked the court to halt demolition work tied to the project. The organization sued the Trump administration in December, arguing that officials failed to complete required federal reviews and did not obtain congressional approval before proceeding with plans that include demolishing portions of the East Wing.
In his ruling, Leon said the preservation group was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its claims. He wrote that the plaintiffs relied on a “ragtag group of theories” under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the Constitution.
Leon determined that the challenge fell short in part because “the White House office in question is not an agency” under the APA, limiting the court’s ability to review the actions at issue. He also wrote that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient legal grounds to challenge the president’s statutory authority to complete the project using private funds without explicit congressional approval.
The decision marks a significant legal victory for the administration and allows work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom to continue. According to Trump, the facility is intended to host large-scale events such as state dinners, official receptions, and potentially inauguration-related gatherings — functions that often require temporary structures on the White House grounds due to space limitations.
Trump celebrated the ruling on Truth Social, emphasizing that the project would not rely on taxpayer funding.
“Great news for America, and our wonderful White House! The Judge on the case of what will be the most beautiful Ballroom anywhere in the World, has just thrown out, and completely erased, the effort to stop its construction,” Trump wrote. “As everyone knows, not one dollar of Taxpayer money is being spent, but rather, all money necessary to build this magnificent building is being put up by Patriot Donors and Contributors.”
He added that construction is “ahead of schedule and under budget.”
The administration has said the ballroom will be funded entirely through private donations, a structure supporters argue avoids additional strain on federal budgets. Critics, however, have raised concerns about precedent, transparency, and the potential long-term impact on the historic White House complex.
The White House has undergone numerous expansions and renovations throughout its history. The West Wing was added in 1902 under President Theodore Roosevelt, and the East Wing was constructed in stages beginning during World War II. Major structural renovations were also undertaken during the Truman administration after engineers determined the building was at risk of collapse.
Legal disputes over executive authority and historic preservation are not uncommon when changes to federally owned landmarks are proposed. The National Trust argued that federal preservation laws and administrative procedures required more extensive review before demolition could proceed. The court’s ruling suggests that, at least at this preliminary stage, those arguments did not meet the threshold necessary to stop the project.
Further legal action remains possible, though the denial of the injunction allows construction to continue while the case proceeds.
If completed as planned, the ballroom would represent one of the most significant additions to the White House complex in decades, reshaping how large official events are hosted at the executive residence.
