A federal court in Washington has cleared the way — at least for now — for President Donald Trump to continue construction of his massive White House ballroom.
Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday found that the National Trust for Historic Preservation raised the wrong legal claims against the president.
He said he would “expeditiously” consider the group’s new challenge if they are able to present arguments that get at the “novel and weighty issues” at the center of the case.
The decision from Leon, a George W. Bush appointee, allows the president to continue work on the ballroom project, which will stand in the place where the White House East Wing once was, before it was demolished in October. The ballroom, which is expected to dwarf the White House and triple its event space capacity, will be funded by more than $300 million in private donations.
