Appeals Court Extends Deadline for Trump's White House Ballroom Construction Challenge, Orders National Security Review

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit extended the deadline to April 17 for the Trump administration to seek Supreme Court review of a lower court order halting construction of Trump's $400 million, 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The appeals court also instructed the trial judge to reconsider the national security implications of pausing the project, which would replace the White House East Wing. The lower court had ruled on March 31 that construction could not proceed without congressional approval under the Antiquities Act and appropriations requirements. The appeals court's decision sidesteps, for now, the administration's request to pause the construction halt while appealing. This development represents another legal obstacle to Trump's controversial plan to demolish the historic East Wing—which houses the First Lady's offices, the White House Social Secretary, and the White House calligrapher—for a massive ballroom intended for state...