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A federal court has dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump's White House ballroom construction project, ordering it to be halted after a legal challenge.
On Friday, a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 that the President must halt construction on the massive White House remodel that has already seen the East Wing destroyed and replaced by a massive construction site.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction brought on by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group sued last year to halt the administration's major East Wing remodel.
The ballroom is expected to cost $400 million and span roughly 90,000sq ft.
The Trust sued the National Park Service last year after the East Wing was torn down, claiming that the White House needed Congressional authorization to proceed with the ballroom project.
The Trump administration never requested permission from Congress, an issue the ruling majority of judges noted in their decision.
'Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,' the majority wrote.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 on Friday that the Trump administration must halt its construction on the President's White House ballroom project
The East Wing of the White House was torn down last year as the President pushed ahead with his ballroom construction. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the National Park Service last year to halt the construction, arguing the President first needed to get authorization for the project from Congress
'Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House — the People’s House — to fit a particular President’s desires.'
The ruling is on hold for 14 days to give the Trump administration a chance to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Construction on the site has already been paused twice during the legal battle, but Trump's latest appeal was not warmly received.
US District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former GOP President George W Bush, ordered a halt on the above-ground construction while allowing the administration to proceed with subterranean work.
Leon previously ruled that there is no law that 'comes close to giving the President' the power to build the ballroom without the go-ahead from Congress.
The ballroom constitutes the largest White House remodel in modern history, but it's not the only change that Trump has made to the executive mansion.
During the President's second term, he has redone the West Wing Colonnade, adding the Presidential Walk of Fame, with features portraits of past US presidents and new black granite flooring.
He has also ordered a redesign of the White House's South Lawn that will include a new helicopter landing pad.
Construction crews work on the White House South Lawn to install a new helicopter landing pad
Additionally, the President has ordered the National Park Service to refurbish the White House's front entrance.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice immediately responded to the Daily Mail's request for comment.