Published: June 6, 2026 • 2:40 AM IST · Updated: June 6, 2026 • 6:25 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Lawyers representing the federal government argued that a court could not stop construction of a White House ballroom because it was already underway and because of the sensitive security concerns they say the structure is meant to address.
Attorney Yaakov Roth, speaking during an exchange with U.S. Appeals Court Judge Patricia Millett, said only Congress could halt the $400 million project.
The administration has been asking the court to allow it to press on with the ballroom without congressional approval.
At issue is an April 16 order from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon for Mr. Trump's Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W.