Courtroom Showdown Over White House Ballroom Authority
At the D.C. Circuit, judges hear the National Trust’s challenge to the White House East Wing ballroom, weighing whether Congress expressly authorized the project and whether funding and authority via the National Park Service and the Economy Act allow the Executive Residence to oversee construction; the panel interrogates standing and whether the government can proceed with construction despite potential APA review questions and congressional limits, highlighting tensions between presidential power, congressional control of federal property, and court review in a historic-preservation case.