A federal judge on Thursday declined to stop the construction of President Donald Trump’s privately funded White House ballroom, a proposed extension to the White House campus.
The judge rejected the plea by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to stop the project while the case is being heard in court.
The decision by the judge means that the project can continue with the construction process. The project is estimated to cost about $400 million.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation failed to prove that it was likely to win the case, hence the court would not stop the project temporarily.
In the ruling, the judge noted that the initial arguments presented by the plaintiffs were based on the authority of the President to carry out the project. However, the judge noted that the plaintiffs could win the case if they amended the case.
Trump celebrated the news in a post on Truth Social.
Trump noted that it was great news for America since no taxpayer money was being used. Trump noted that the project was ahead of schedule and under budget. Trump noted that the project would be used to host the inauguration of the President in the future as well as other state occasions.
The case was filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued the Trump administration to stop the project since the East Wing was demolished to make way for the new project.
National Trust President and CEO Carol Quillen said the organization was disappointed the court declined to issue a preliminary injunction but welcomed the judge’s recognition that the group has standing to pursue the case. She said the Trust plans to amend its complaint to argue that the president exceeded his statutory authority and will move forward promptly as the court reviews the revised filing.
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