Overview
- A divided D.C. Circuit panel on Friday upheld a district judge’s injunction that stops above‑grade construction of the proposed 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom while the case proceeds.
- The court explicitly allowed below‑grade security work, such as an underground bunker, to continue during litigation, decoupling security upgrades from the blocked architectural changes.
- The case turns on 40 U.S.C. § 8106, which bars erecting structures on federal reservations without Congress’s express authorization, and on disputes over whether the Office of the Executive Residence is subject to the Administrative Procedure Act and whether plaintiffs have legal standing.
- Reporting and filings show large sums have already been redirected to the project, including about $352 million from Secret Service‑designated funds and media estimates of total costs near $600 million.
- The administration says it will seek emergency Supreme Court review while Congress could also act, a fight that will shape limits on presidential control of federal landmarks and rules for public spending on the Executive Residence.