Appeals court says Trump White House ballroom construction can proceed for now | CNN Politics

A federal appeals court said Saturday that President Donald Trump can move ahead for another week with construction of a massive new White House ballroom while judges consider the project. The 2-1 order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is a temporary win for Trump in a protracted legal fight over whether he has the authority to build the ballroom on the site of the former East Wing without express approval from Congress. The appeals court said work on the project can continue until at least April 17. The court sent the case back down to a federal judge who initially ruled against it, saying he needed to look closer at the White House’s argument that construction must continue for national security and safety reasons, and adding that the appeals court couldn’t scrutinize the notion on a “hurried record.” “It remains unclear whether and to what extent the development of certain aspects of the proposed ballroom is necessary to ensure the safety and security of those below-ground national security upgrades or otherwise to ensure the safety of the White House and its occupants while the appeal proceeds,” the judges in the majority wrote. The two judges who decided to sen