STORY: A judge's order to halt construction on a new White House ballroom is drawing sharp pushback from the Trump administration -- which says the ruling puts presidential security at risk.
In an emergency motion filed Friday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the administration argued that the pause leaves the executive mansion "open and exposed," warning of what it calls grave national-security harms.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon earlier this week ordered construction to stop while a lawsuit challenging the project moves forward.
The lawsuit seeks to block the roughly $400 million ballroom planned for the site of the recently demolished East Wing, arguing the project required congressional approval.
Leon temporarily delayed enforcement of his order for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal.
In its filing, the administration says the court lacks constitutional authority to hear the case, as it (quote) "rests on a single pedestrian's subjective architectural feelings."
The initial lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit that claims Trump exceeded his authority by razing the historic East Wing.
The administration says the claims are legally baseless, arguing the president has complete authority to renovate the White House.
