“Unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!” Leon wrote in a 35-page memorandum opinion.

The ruling sets up a rare procedural split: 

As of ENR press time, the ballroom remained on the National Capital Planning Commission's April 2 agenda as unfinished business, with commissioners scheduled to deliberate and vote on final site and building plans.

The court order halting construction effectively decouples the project’s approval and construction tracks—ostensibly allowing federal planning to proceed while physical work is paused pending congressional action or appellate reversal.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the ballroom’s final design in late February. The pending NCPC vote represents the final federal planning approval required before full above-grade construction could proceed.

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Work Halted at Threshold of Vertical Construction

Construction had already advanced significantly. Since the East Wing was demolished in October 2025, crews have completed foundations and below-grade structural concrete. Above-grade structural work was expected to begin in April, according to court filings and ENR’s own reporting.

At least one crane and heavy equipment had already been staged on site in anticipation of the federal approval required to begin vertical work. The project, designed by Shalom Baranes Associates, encompasses roughly 89,000 sq ft and is designed to seat about 1,000 guests.

The White House is overseeing construction directly rather than through a traditional general contractor, with project control residing in the Office of the Executive Residence.

Leon delayed enforcement of the injunction 14 days to allow for an expected appeal but warned that any above-grade framework during that period “is at risk of being taken down depending on the outcome of this case.” Work necessary to maintain site safety and security is exempt.

The pause comes at a sensitive moment in the construction sequence. Halting the project at this point could trigger demobilization costs, disrupt sequencing and delay procurement tied to structural systems, especially on a constrained, high-security site requiring staged excavation and vibration monitoring adjacent to the Executive Mansion.

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Court Rejects Statutory Basis for Project

At the core of the ruling is a 1912 federal law prohibiting the erection of any building or structure on federal parkland in the District of Columbia without express congressional authority.

Leon found the administration’s reliance on statutes governing maintenance of the Executive Residence to be a misreading of existing law, concluding those provisions authorize routine upkeep—not demolition and construction of this scale.

He also rejected the administration’s funding structure, which relies on private donations to finance the project. 

The court pointed to the gap between the roughly $2.5 million annually appropriated for White House maintenance and the ballroom’s projected cost, describing it as a "Rube Goldberg contraption" that does not substitute for affirmative congressional authorization.

The ruling marks a reversal from February, when Leon declined to halt construction, and reflects what the court described as a more developed legal challenge focused on whether the administration acted beyond its statutory authority.

Next Steps: Congress or Appeal

Trump responded on Truth Social, calling the National Trust “a Radical Left Group of Lunatics” and describing the ballroom as “under budget, ahead of schedule, being built at no cost to the Taxpayer, and will be the finest Building of its kind anywhere in the World.”

The administration’s lead courtroom lawyer, Yaakov Roth of the U.S. Justice Dept., is expected to pursue an immediate appeal.

Trump has said publicly he raised more than $350 million from personal backers and roughly two dozen tech, cryptocurrency and defense corporations to fund the project. A November 2025 report by Public Citizen found that two-thirds of publicly identified corporate donors tied to the project had received federal contracts collectively valued at more than $275 billion.

Leon left open a path forward through Congress. “It is not too late for Congress to authorize the continued construction of the ballroom project,” he wrote, noting lawmakers could grant explicit authority or appropriate funds directly.

Until then, construction remains halted, even as federal planners move ahead with a final vote on a project that cannot proceed in the field without legislative approval.