A US federal appeals court has given the Trump administration until at least April 17 to continue construction on a planned White House ballroom, temporarily blocking a lower court order that had sought to halt the project. The ruling, issued Saturday by a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, gives the administration time to seek review from the Supreme Court if it chooses.

The legal battle stems from a March 31 order by Judge Richard Leon — a George W. Bush appointee — who ruled that the administration had exceeded its authority by undertaking such a transformative construction project on the White House grounds without first obtaining congressional approval. Leon sided with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization that filed suit in December, arguing that the project required legislative sign-off. The Trump administration responded swiftly, filing an emergency motion arguing that pausing construction would create a national security risk, pointing in particular to planned below-ground security and military infrastructure beneath the ballroom site.

Saturday's appeals court ruling was not unanimous. The two-judge majority — both appointed by Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden — extended the deadline but raised pointed questions about the administration's security arguments. The majority noted that the original injunction already contained exceptions for work "necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House," and found that the administration had not clearly explained how those exceptions were insufficient. The judges also pushed back on claims that any delay posed an urgent national security threat, noting that the administration's own planning documents estimated the project would take nearly three years to complete from groundbreaking. The dissenting judge, a Trump appointee, argued that halting the construction caused irreparable harm that outweighed the aesthetic and legal concerns raised by critics.

The ballroom project has been deeply controversial since construction began last October, when the White House's East Wing — a structure dating to 1902 — was demolished within roughly three days, without prior public notice. The planned structure would cover approximately 90,000 square feet (around 8,360 square metres) and, according to critics, would rise higher than the White House itself. Trump has said the project will be funded through private donations rather than taxpayer money, though reports have emerged that a European steel company donated materials for the construction — raising questions about potential conflicts of interest amid ongoing US tariff disputes.

Why this matters: The case raises fundamental questions about the limits of presidential power over federally protected spaces in Washington, and whether the executive branch can unilaterally reshape landmark national sites without congressional oversight. The appeals court has sent the matter back to the lower court for further factual clarification, meaning the legal dispute is far from resolved — and the April 17 deadline may not be its last chapter.