All posts tagged: Richard J. Leon

Trump’s White House ballroom construction can continue: Appeals court

Trump’s White House ballroom construction can continue: Appeals court

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the East Wing modernization as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on March 29, 2026. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images A federal appeals court is allowing President Donald Trump to continue building a $400 million ballroom at the White House, ruling a day after a lower court judge continued to block above-ground construction on the site of the former East Wing. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit late Friday put on temporary hold the order by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon halting part of the project. The panel scheduled a hearing for June 5 to review the case. In his ruling Thursday, Leon continued to block above-ground construction of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition while allowing only below-ground work to continue on a bunker and other “national security facilities” at the site. Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to build the massive ballroom there. The …

Judge told to reconsider national security implications of halting Trump’s White House ballroom

Judge told to reconsider national security implications of halting Trump’s White House ballroom

Published by Sam Flores

A federal judge must reconsider the possible national security implications of halting construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, an appeals court ruled on Saturday. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it did not have enough information to decide how much of the project can be suspended without jeopardizing the safety of the president, his family or the White House staff. The case was returned to the trial judge who, in a March 31 ruling, barred work from proceeding without congressional approval, but suspended enforcement of that order for 14 days. The appeals court extended that for three days, to April 17, to allow the Trump administration to seek Supreme Court review. The panel instructed U.S. District Judge Richard Leon to clarify whether — and how — his injunction interferes with the administration’s plans for safety and security. Government lawyers had argued that the project includes critical security features to guard against a range of possible threats, such as drones, ballistic missiles …

Appeals court asked to pause order halting Trump ballroom construction

Appeals court asked to pause order halting Trump ballroom construction

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump looks out at the White House Ballroom construction while arriving for a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Trump administration is arguing that a judge’s order to halt construction of a $400 million ballroom creates a security risk for President Donald Trump as it asks a federal appeals court to pause the ruling. In a motion filed Friday, National Park Service lawyers say that the federal judge’s order to suspend construction of the new facility is “threatening grave national-security harms to the White House, the President and his family, and the President’s staff.” “Time is of the essence!” the lawyers write, citing materials that will be installed to make a “heavily fortified” facility. The ballroom construction also includes bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility, according to the filing. The ballroom is part of President Donald Trump’s plans to quickly remake Washington. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon …

Trump’s White House ballroom gets final OK after judge’s halt order

Trump’s White House ballroom gets final OK after judge’s halt order

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the East Wing modernization as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on March 29, 2026. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, days after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years. The National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling on Tuesday affects construction activities, not the planning process, commission spokesperson Stephen Staudigl said. But despite the agency’s approval, the judge’s ruling and the legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It’s among a series of changes the Republican president is planning for the nation’s capital to leave his lasting imprint while he’s still in …

Judge blocks Trump White House ballroom project for now

Judge blocks Trump White House ballroom project for now

Published by Sam Flores

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday blocked, for now, the construction of the new White House ballroom, which President Donald Trump has heavily touted. District Court Judge Richard Leon, in his order, said construction of the planned $400 million ballroom “must stop” because no law “comes close” to giving Trump legal authority to build such a structure at the White House without authorization by Congress. Leon said that the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, which sued Trump in December to halt the project, was likely to prevail in the case. The judge enjoined Trump administration officials and the Executive Office of the President, “from taking any action in furtherance of the physical development of the proposed ballroom at the former site of the East Wing of the White House.” Leon, who twice previously declined to block the project, said the order would take effect within 14 days. The delay gives Trump time to appeal the injunction. The ruling comes months after the East Wing was demolished to make way …

Slotkin rejects DOJ interview on troops video, floats Bondi, Pirro lawsuit

Slotkin rejects DOJ interview on troops video, floats Bondi, Pirro lawsuit

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is seen in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said Thursday that she had refused to sit for a requested interview with the Department of Justice for its investigation over a video in which she and five other Democratic lawmakers urged U.S. troops not to follow illegal orders. “I’m not going to be sitting down for this inquiry. I’m not going to legitimize their actions,” Slotkin said in a videotaped statement she posted on X. Slotkin’s lawyer also sent letters to Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, informing them of her noncompliance, and asking Bondi to order Pirro to drop the probe. The lawyer, Preet Bharara, urged Pirro to retain her records because of “anticipated litigation concerning potential violations of the Senator’s First Amendment rights and your office’s vindictive and retaliatory investigation.” Bharara, in a letter to Pirro, said that the message of the Nov. 18 video featuring Slotkin …