A split three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit earlier Friday ordered construction on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom to stop but stayed its decision for two weeks to allow the administration time to appeal.
“We will be immediately appealing to the United States Supreme Court,” Trump posted Friday on social media, calling the order “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful.”
The decision marked a blow for Trump, who has focused intensely on his construction projects in Washington, of which his planned ballroom is the centrepiece. He has devoted copious time to speaking about the efforts, despite grappling with a months-long conflict in the Middle East and a shaky economy at home.
His efforts, including a renovation of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch and a luxury remake of DC’s most popular municipal golf course, have faced numerous legal hurdles.
In its 2-1 decision, the appeals court sided with a historic preservation group that sued to stop construction of the massive ballroom on the site of the old East Wing of the White House, which Trump abruptly demolished last year.
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(Edited by : Juviraj Anchil)