Judge Orders Construction of White House Ballroom Halted

 

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered construction of a planned White House ballroom project to

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered construction of a planned White House ballroom project to be halted, siding with a historic preservation group that argued the effort violated federal law. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said the group is likely to succeed on the merits of its case, writing that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have,” according to the ruling.

The injunction temporarily stops work on the project, though the judge delayed enforcement for 14 days to allow the White House time to appeal, Fox News reported.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal almost immediately on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, formally challenging the district court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction blocking the project