Appeals court halts construction of Trump’s $400m White House ballroom
National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last year after Trump administration tore down East Wing
A US federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of the US president’s $400m White House ballroom, in a fresh blow to the controversial project.
Donald Trump, who demolished the historic East Wing of the White House last year to make way for planned ballroom, has repeatedly touted it as “a gift” to the US people.
But in a major setback in a case testing his presidential authority, the Washington-based US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit upheld a preliminary injunction in a divided 2-1 order on Friday.
The injunction was won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued last year after the Trump administration tore down the East Wing and began building a 90,000 sq ft (8,360 sq meter) ballroom without seeking authorization from Congress.
The appeals court put its ruling on hold for two weeks, allowing the administration to appeal to the US supreme court.
More details soon …
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