Federal judge blocks above-ground White House ballroom construction

Politics Federal judge blocks above-ground White House ballroom construction By Jacob Rosen, Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen, Arden Farhi Arden Farhi Washington bureau managing editor Arden Farhi is the managing editor for CBS News' Washington bureau. He has covered several presidential campaigns and the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations. His executive producer credits include "The Takeout with Major Garrett" and the CBS News original podcast "Agent of Betrayal," and his work has been recognized with two Emmy Awards, a DuPont Award and a NY Festivals gold medal. Read Full Bio Arden Farhi April 16, 2026 / 12:53 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A federal judge on Thursday said above-ground work on the White House East Wing must stop, but underground construction on a presidential bunker can continue. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who in March temporarily blocked the Trump administration's construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to replace the White House's East Wing, clarified his order Thursday after a federal appeals court ordered him to reconsider the national security implications of halting the construction.In revising his order, Leon allowed "above-ground construction strictly necessary to cover, secure, and protect such facilities" underground and said construction on national security facilities that would be located underneath the ballroom can continue, "provided that any such construction will not lock in the above-ground size and scale of the ballroom."Waterproofing, water management, structural reinforcement and sealing off exposed construction areas are allowed, Leon said.Leon's order stopping construction was set to be enforced s...