{"id":2611188,"date":"2026-06-05T16:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-circuit-grills-doj-over-white-house-bid-to-continue-building-ballroom\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:35:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:35:50","slug":"dc-circuit-grills-doj-over-white-house-bid-to-continue-building-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dc-circuit-grills-doj-over-white-house-bid-to-continue-building-ballroom\/","title":{"rendered":"DC Circuit grills DOJ over White House bid to continue building ballroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdc-circuit-grills-doj-over-white-house-bid-to-continue-building-ballroom%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611188&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A D.C. Circuit appeals panel questioned both the Trump administration\u2019s reasoning for halting a legal challenge to the White House ballroom project and whether the National Trust for Historic Preservation has legal standing to sue at all. The judges pressed DOJ attorneys on whether the Trust\u2019s alleged injury-largely aesthetic and related to how the building will affect the view of President\u2019s Park-counts as a concrete harm rather than a generalized grievance.  <\/p>\n<p>The panel also explored hypothetical limits on suing if the government moves quickly with construction or demolition before a lawsuit can be filed, and it challenged the Trust\u2019s position by comparing it to other past White House developments that were not similarly targeted in court. The conservationist side argued the project would undermine the National Park Service\u2019s mission to protect the cultural resource of the White house area, while DOJ suggested the record did not support the trust\u2019s claimed injury or entitlement to stop the work.  <\/p>\n<p>The court provided no timeline or indication of how it will rule on the administration\u2019s appeal to overturn a lower court order pausing the East Wing renovation. Simultaneously occurring, the ballroom proposal has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-foes-punish-elon-musks-tesla-and-starlink-in-tariff-battle\/\" title=\"... foes punish Elon Musk\u2019s Tesla and Starlink in tariff battle\">faced political backlash<\/a>, and even though Trump said it would be privately financed, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >administration sought federal security funding<\/a> that was reportedly dropped by Senate action after concerns about optics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/appeals-courts\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1537\">appeals court<\/a> appeared skeptical Friday of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> bid to build the proposed White House ballroom, but it also sharply questioned whether a preservationist group can even sue to stop the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments from both the Department of Justice and lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation on whether to reverse a lower federal judge\u2019s order halting construction of the East Wing renovation project. The DOJ has largely argued that halting construction would <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4581161\/doj-invokes-white-house-shooting-appeal-ballroom-construction\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4581161\/doj-invokes-white-house-shooting-appeal-ballroom-construction\/\">jeopardize the security and safety of the president and the White House complex<\/a>, but during Friday\u2019s hearing, the judges focused their questioning on whether the preservationist group has proven enough of an injury to sue over the construction project.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4596794\/ex-cia-officer-gold-bar-scheme-to-remain-jailed\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ex-CIA officer accused of stealing $40 million in gold bars to remain jailed<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4595866\/dc-planning-commission-trump-arch-height\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DC planning commission chair defends Trump arch against criticism that it violates height law<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4595785\/5-takeaways-bondi-tova-noel-transcripts-epstein-final-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Five takeaways from Bondi and Tova Noel transcripts: New clues on co-conspirators and Epstein\u2019s final days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DOJ lawyer Yaakov Roth opened his arguments by taking aim at the fact that the Trust\u2019s lawsuit rests on the concerns of a board member of the group, who claimed in the initial lawsuit that the new ballroom would permanently alter the landscape of the White House area for the worse and would harm her \u201cuse and enjoyment of President\u2019s Park.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is simply that she thinks she will not like how it looks after the building is built. That is a classic generalized grievance,\u201d Roth said, urging the appeals court to find that the group does not have standing to sue over the ballroom project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the judges asked a hypothetical question about whether, if the administration wanted to level the executive mansion part of the White House, which is not affected by the ballroom project, a descendant of a slave who helped build the White House would have the ability to sue over the project. Roth responded that if the person in that situation sued before demolition, he or she could, but if the structure had already been destroyed, then there would be no standing to sue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe answer is no, they can\u2019t sue as long as the government goes too fast before anyone can file a lawsuit, or in fact says there\u2019s going to be a public input process, and then moves immediately quickly before that process even starts, correct,\u201d one of the judges said, appearing concerned by Roth\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers continue building the cage for a future UFC fight on the South Lawn in front of the White House, Wednesday, June 3 2026, in Washington, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom, right, as seen from the Washington Monument. (AP Photo\/Rahmat Gul)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roth noted that with the ballroom litigation, the trust waited nearly half a year after the project was announced, and two months after demolition began, to file a lawsuit. The judge asked if the DOJ believes that if the government were to demolish the Statue of Liberty, people with a connection to the statue would be unable to sue if the government demolished it before they could file a lawsuit. Roth responded that that is indeed the DOJ\u2019s stance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thaddeus Heuer, lawyer for the conservationists, was also grilled by the panel on the trust\u2019s ability to sue over the project, with one of the judges opening questioning by saying she had a \u201chard time seeing\u201d how the group has standing when compared to other high-profile cases where groups were found by courts not to have standing. The judge questioned the trust board member\u2019s reliance on the aesthetic harm she might experience when she walks by the White House \u201cmaybe once a month\u201d as the basis of her legal injury.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heuer focused on how the President\u2019s Park, where the White House complex sits, is under the governance of the National Park Service and therefore should be preserved for what the NPS designed it to be, which he claims is to \u201cpreserve the cultural resource of the White House.\u201d One of the judges asked how the project would not promote the NPS mission and use of the President\u2019s Park, noting that the new East Wing would be important for national security, hosting state dinners, and other events. Heuer pointed to an environmental assessment of the ballroom project, which noted it would have adverse effects on the park, a point Roth would later dismiss as cherry-picking a single line out of an extensive report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another point brought up in the judge\u2019s questioning was over why past White House projects, such as the tennis pavilion or the swimming pool, were not subject to the same congressional approval that the trust argues the ballroom project needs. Heuer said the projects likely needed the same amount of approval, but no one ever sued over them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three-judge panel included U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett, an appointee of former President Barack Obama; Neomi Rao, a Trump appointee; and Brad Garcia, an appointee of former President Joe Biden. The appeals court did not say when they would issue a ruling on the Trump administration\u2019s appeal or how they would rule.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4581161\/doj-invokes-white-house-shooting-appeal-ballroom-construction\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4581161\">DOJ INVOKES WHITE HOUSE SHOOTING IN APPEAL TO CONTINUE BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s proposed ballroom project has been met with uproar from Democrats and left-wing activists since it was announced last year. The preservationist group\u2019s lawsuit is the main effort to halt the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Trump had insisted the project would be fully financed by private donations, his administration attempted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-slow-walks-plans-to-give-cubans-internet-access\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Slow-Walks Plans To Give Cubans Internet Access\">secure federal funding<\/a> from Congress for the security improvements to the White House complex as part of the East Wing project. Despite the president\u2019s push, the Senate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4593536\/senate-republicans-drop-trump-ballroom-security-funding\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4593536\/senate-republicans-drop-trump-ballroom-security-funding\/\">axed<\/a> Trump\u2019s proposal for security funding in the wider immigration enforcement funding bill earlier this week after concerns from several GOP senators about the optics of approving such funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal appeals court seemed skeptical of Trump\u2019s White House ballroom plan and questioned whether the preservation group can sue to stop it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2611189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26154628909178.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[55408,7076,80907,32285,32127],"class_list":["post-2611188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dc-circuit","tag-doj","tag-government-construction","tag-legal-case","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26154628909178.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611188"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611192,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611188\/revisions\/2611192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}