Overview
- In a revised order Thursday, Judge Richard Leon halted all above-ground work and let crews continue the underground bunker and limited tasks to cover and secure it, such as waterproofing and structural reinforcement, with a seven-day stay for appeal.
- The D.C. Circuit last week directed Leon to clarify his earlier injunction after a temporary order let some work proceed during the administration’s appeal.
- Leon rejected the administration’s claim that the entire 90,000-square-foot project is a security necessity, writing that “national security is not a blank check” and that only below-grade facilities fit the exception.
- Trump had the East Wing demolished in October 2025 to make way for a largely privately funded ballroom now estimated at about $400 million, and preservationists sued saying Congress must approve above-ground changes to the White House.
- The fast-moving case could reach the Supreme Court and will shape how far a president can alter a national landmark and invoke security to bypass preservation and property laws.