Federal judge blocks above-ground White House ballroom construction
But underground construction work on a presidential bunker underneath the ballroom can continue, the judge said.
Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 4:44 PM EDT / CBS News
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who in March temporarily blocked the Trump administration's construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to replace the White House's East Wing , clarified his order Thursday after a federal appeals court ordered him to reconsider the national security implications of halting the construction.
In revising his order, Leon allowed "above-ground construction strictly necessary to cover, secure, and protect such facilities" underground and said construction on national security facilities that would be located underneath the ballroom can continue, "provided that any such construction will not lock in the above-ground size and scale of the ballroom."
Waterproofing, water management, structural reinforcement and sealing off exposed construction areas are allowed, Leon said.
President Trump responded to the ruling on Truth Social: "This highly political Judge, and his illegal overreach, is out of control, and costing our Nation greatly. This is a mockery to our Court System! The Ballroom is deeply important to our National Security, and no Judge can be allowed to stop this Historic and Militarily Imperative Project."