The construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom can proceed, a federal appeals court ruled late Friday night. The judgement came just 24-hours after a lower court judge continued to block above-ground rebuild on the site of the former East Wing.
AP reports a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put on temporary hold the order by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon halting part of the $400 million project.
The ruling marks a substantial victory for the president in his effort to redesign the storied American structure.
Construction is now expected to continue until the next hearing, which is due to take place on 5 June.
Trump demolished the East Wing last fall to build the massive ballroom in that space.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation later sued to block construction, arguing the president had overstepped his authority by moving forward with the project without first getting approval from key federal agencies and Congress.
Trump has said the ballroom is a long-overdue addition to the White House complex and argues that he has the right to build it because the cost will be covered by donations from wealthy individuals and corporations.
The president, like many other presidents before him, has already made several renovations and additions to the White House, as Breitbart News reported, even as Democrats despair he is somehow defiling the showpiece center of national government.
President Trump Is Disrespecting the White House!
He installed a patio in the Rose Garden in place of the sod that was once there. He repeatedly noted women who had attended past events there would have trouble with their footing on the grass in heels.
He also added two nearly 100-foot-tall flag poles to the North and South lawns last June.
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