A nonprofit organization tasked with preserving America’s historic sites sued President Donald Trump on Friday, seeking to halt construction on the massive White House ballroom until the project receives the appropriate federal approvals.
“No president, not President Trump, not President Biden, or anyone else, is legally permitted to demolish portions of the White House without consideration,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation said in a lawsuit in Washington federal court.
“And no president is legally allowed to build a ballroom on public land without giving the public an opportunity to consult,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit alleges that Trump was legally required to obtain reviews and approvals before demolishing the historic East Wing of the White House and beginning construction on a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
These reviews “should have been conducted before Defendants demolished the east wing and began construction of the ballroom,” the complaint states.
The trust is asking a judge to declare the project to be in violation of multiple laws, including the Administrative Procedure Act.
The group is also seeking a court-ordered halt to construction “until the necessary federal committees review and approve the project plans, appropriate environmental reviews are conducted, and Congress approves construction of the ballroom.”
Late Friday, Judge Richard Leon set a hearing for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. ET on the trust’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block further development of the ballroom.
Other defendants in the lawsuit, in addition to Trump, are the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the General Services Administration, and the heads of their respective agencies.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate and beautify the White House, as all of his predecessors have done,” White House Press Secretary David Ingle told CNBC in a statement.
