Another court blocks White House ballroom work, teeing up a Supreme Court review

A federal appeals court has ruled that construction on a $400m ballroom at the White House cannot continue without approval from Congress. The court sided with historic preservation advocates, who had sued the Trump administration after it began the project without congressional approval. The administration had torn down the East Wing last year to start construction.

The three-judge panel, in a 2-1 decision, stated that Congress has not given the Executive Branch unlimited authority to redesign and reconstruct the White House. According to the panel, each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House and its Executive Residence. The court upheld a preliminary injunction won by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The administration plans to appeal the decision, which may ultimately be reviewed by the Supreme Court. President Trump has called the decision "unjust". The court's ruling is a setback for the controversial project, which has been testing Trump's presidential authority.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, MyJoyOnline Ghana, DW News, CBS News, BBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.