The Trump White House ballroom lawsuit is a federal case brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in December 2025 to stop construction of a roughly 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing. The Trust argues that President Trump began tearing down and rebuilding part of the White House without the congressional authorization and environmental reviews federal law requires. A district judge agreed and ordered work halted in March 2026, but the D.C. Circuit put that order on hold, and construction has continued while the appeal plays out.
Who Sued and What the Complaint Claims
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit chartered by Congress in 1949, filed suit on December 12, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case is National Trust for Historic Preservation v. National Park Service, Case No. 1:25-cv-04316. The Park Service is the lead defendant because it manages the White House grounds.1The Washington Post. National Trust Complaint
The complaint rests on four legal theories:
- 40 U.S.C. § 8106 bars any building or structure from being erected on federal public grounds in Washington, D.C., without “express authority of Congress.” The Trust says Congress never granted that authority for the ballroom.
- The National Environmental Policy Act requires an environmental assessment before major federal actions. The Trust says none was properly done before demolition.
- The National Capital Planning Commission and Commission of Fine Arts are ordinarily consulted before construction on federal land in the capital. Neither had reviewed plans when demolition began.
- The Administrative Procedure Act, which lets courts set aside unlawful agency action.
The suit also raises a constitutional claim: the Property Clause vests Congress, not the president, with the power to dispose of and regulate federal property.2The New York Times. Trump White House Ballroom Lawsuit by National Trust3BBC News. White House Ballroom Lawsuit The Trust is represented by Foley Hoag, with partner Tad Heuer as lead counsel and senior counsel Gregory Craig handling correspondence with the government.4The Washington Post. Trump Ballroom National Trust Lawsuit
What Is Actually Being Built
In July 2025, the White House announced a State Ballroom to replace the East Wing, which had stood since 1902 and been expanded in 1942. The new structure would span about 90,000 square feet and seat up to 1,000 guests. The stated purpose was to host state functions without tents on the South Lawn.5The White House. The White House Announces White House Ballroom Construction to Begin
In October 2025, crews demolished the entire East Wing along with almost all of the East Terrace and the White House movie theater. It was the first major exterior change to the White House in 83 years.6PBS NewsHour. The East Wing of the White House Has Been Demolished Clark Construction is the general contractor and AECOM leads engineering.7Facilities Dive. White House Ballroom Construction Halted by Judge
The White House initially described the project as privately funded at about $200 million, with donations routed through the Trust for the National Mall. Estimates then climbed to $250 million, $300 million, and $400 million. In June 2026, The Washington Post reported that an internal contractor estimate from March 2026 put the total at $600 million and that roughly half was coming from taxpayer sources: $155 million from the Secret Service, $149 million from the White House Military Office, and $3 million from the Executive Residence, alongside $293 million in private donations.8The Washington Post. Records Reveal $600M Estimate for Trump’s Ballroom Project9Democratic Whip. USA Today: Trump Ballroom Soars to $600M With Taxpayers on Hook for Half Donors have included Google (which contributed $22 million as part of a legal settlement with President Trump), Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Coinbase, Palantir, and Lockheed Martin.10ABC News. Donors Funding the White House Ballroom The watchdog group CREW has argued the donations should be disclosed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.11Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. White House Ballroom Donations Should Be Disclosed on Lobbying Disclosure Reports
How the Administration Is Defending the Project
The Department of Justice has argued that the president already has statutory authority for the work, pointing to 3 U.S.C. § 105(d), which appropriates funds for “care, maintenance, repair, alteration, refurnishing, improvement, air-conditioning, heating, and lighting” of the Executive Residence, and to the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916, which lets the Park Service “promote and regulate” the park system.12Politico. Trump Administration Response to Lawsuit Over White House Ballroom
The government has also framed the project as inseparable from national security. The construction site includes upgrades to a secure underground military complex, and a Secret Service deputy director filed a declaration saying a construction pause would hamper the agency’s protective mission.13Spectrum News. Appeals Panel on Federal Court and Trump White House Ballroom
A third argument goes to standing and remedy. DOJ Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth told the D.C. Circuit that because the East Wing is already gone and the replacement is well underway, any harm is “non-redressable” and only Congress can intervene. When Judge Patricia Millett asked whether a court could act in the face of “complete lawlessness,” Roth answered, “I think that’s right.”14ABC News. Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Trump’s Ballroom Plans15The Guardian. DOJ on Trump White House Ballroom The National Park Service also said it conducted an environmental assessment before demolition that resulted in a “finding of no significant impact.”12Politico. Trump Administration Response to Lawsuit Over White House Ballroom
The District Court Injunction
On March 31, 2026, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, a George W. Bush appointee on senior status, issued a preliminary injunction ordering construction paused. Leon ruled the project could not proceed without “express authorization from Congress” and found that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.” He wrote: “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!”16Politico. Trump White House Ballroom Lawsuit Order
The order carved out an exception for work on the underground bunker and security facilities and gave the administration 14 days to appeal before enforcement began.17NPR. Judge Rules White House Ballroom Construction Must Halt Until Congress OKs It
The Appeal
The administration appealed to the D.C. Circuit. On April 11, 2026, a three-judge panel of Patricia Millett, Neomi Rao, and Bradley Garcia sent the case back to Judge Leon to clarify how the injunction interacted with the security work, and extended a temporary stay.13Spectrum News. Appeals Panel on Federal Court and Trump White House Ballroom Judge Rao dissented from the remand, arguing the project was authorized under 3 U.S.C. § 105(d)(1) because “improvement” in real property law means a “valuable addition made to property” that “amounts to more than mere repairs or replacement.”18Courthouse News Service. D.C. Circuit Ballroom Stay Panel Order
On April 17, the panel issued an administrative stay letting construction continue while the appeal is pending.14ABC News. Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Trump’s Ballroom Plans Full oral argument took place on June 5, 2026, in a two-hour hearing. Judge Garcia questioned whether the maintenance and park statutes the government cited could authorize a project of this scale, and Judge Millett pressed Roth on whether his position left courts powerless in the face of executive lawlessness.19CNN. White House Ballroom Appeals Court Hearing A ruling is expected in the weeks after argument, with a possible path to the Supreme Court.20SCOTUSblog. White House Ballroom Battle May Soon Arrive at the Supreme Court
DOJ’s Demand to Drop the Suit After the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting
On April 25, 2026, a gunman named Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, charged past a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and exchanged fire with Secret Service agents. One agent wearing body armor was struck in the chest and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Allen was arrested and indicted two days later on charges of attempting to assassinate the president and two weapons charges.21The New York Times. What We Know About the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting
Within hours, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate wrote to the National Trust demanding it dismiss the lawsuit by 9:00 a.m. on April 27, arguing the Hilton was “demonstrably unsafe” and that the ballroom would “ensure the safety and security of the President for decades to come.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on social media: “It’s time to build the ballroom.”22PBS NewsHour. Justice Department Cites Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting in Push to Drop Trump Ballroom Lawsuit
The Trust refused. Gregory Craig wrote back that “the Constitution and multiple federal statutes require Congress to authorize construction of a ballroom on White House grounds, and that Congress has not done so,” and called the assertion that the lawsuit endangered the president’s life “incorrect and irresponsible,” noting the injunction had always carved out underground security work.4The Washington Post. Trump Ballroom National Trust Lawsuit
Where Congress Stands
Congress has not authorized the ballroom, and the fault line has been partisan. In May 2026, about 150 Democratic lawmakers filed an amicus brief arguing that construction cannot proceed without “clear authorization from Congress, as well as an appropriation of funds.” The brief was led by Representatives Robert Garcia and Jared Huffman and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and pointed out that the $2.5 million appropriated annually for White House maintenance cannot support a project of this size. Garcia called it an “illegal and unconstitutional vanity project.”23CBS News. Congressional Democrats on White House Ballroom Construction
Senate Republicans at one point considered a $1 billion provision for ballroom-related security, but it was dropped from a broader GOP bill, and by early June 2026, ballroom funding had also been excluded from an immigration bill.24House Democrats Appropriations Committee. Court Rules Trump Must Seek Approval From Congress for Billionaire Ballroom
What Happens Next
Construction is proceeding under the D.C. Circuit’s administrative stay while the panel considers whether to affirm or reverse Judge Leon’s injunction. Whichever side loses at the D.C. Circuit is expected to seek review from the Supreme Court.20SCOTUSblog. White House Ballroom Battle May Soon Arrive at the Supreme Court The question the courts are being asked to answer is the one Judge Leon posed: whether a president can demolish a wing of the White House and replace it with a 90,000-square-foot addition without Congress saying yes.