An appeals court had previously ruled that the Trump administration must get approval from Congress to continue with the project.
Published August 14, 2026
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the $400 million construction to proceed.
On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the country’s highest court to block a lower court injunction that halted President Trump’s construction work pending the litigation.
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The Justice Department argued that construction of the ballroom was necessary for security reasons, an issue that has always been a focus of President Trump.
“This lawsuit includes an unusual and unlawful injunction halting ongoing construction of the Joint Forces Complex in the East Wing of the White House, which includes fully secure banquet space that is critical to national security,” the Justice Department wrote.
Trump was expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. On August 7, a majority of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the government to halt construction of the controversial ballroom unless it receives approval from Congress.
The deadline for construction to be halted has been set as August 21st. However, the injunction itself was put on hold for 14 days so that the Justice Department could appeal to the Supreme Court.
The appeals court’s ruling upheld an earlier order issued by District Court Judge Richard Leon in April.
Like the April decision, the appeals court’s decision specifically related to above-ground construction that would change the visible features of the White House.
“Whether or not a large banquet hall should be built is a decision for Congress, not a matter of self-help for the government,” the commission said in its decision.
Ongoing legal battle
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the lawsuit in December after the Trump administration demolished the East Wing of the White House last year and began construction on a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom.
But President Trump has repeatedly defied the court’s ruling, insisting that work on the ballroom will continue.
Meanwhile, the project’s price tag for U.S. taxpayers has ballooned, contradicting President Trump’s previous insistence that it be funded solely by outside donations.
Trump and his allies have argued that the new banquet hall is needed to host safe events following a series of assassination attempts.
Critics say the ballroom plan comes amid the president’s broader push to transform the U.S. capital in his image, including building a giant Arc de Triomphe.
Following last week’s injunction, President Trump denounced the appeals court’s ruling regarding the banquet hall’s construction.
President Trump responded, “This unjust decision must be completely overturned by the Supreme Court.”
He added that the banquet hall would include air raid shelters, medical facilities, protection from drones and missiles, and other security features, “all tied together as a large, expensive and very complex unit.”
