Construction of the underground and above-ground portions of US President Donald Trump's White House ballroom will be allowed to continue, an appeals court has ruled.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia granted an administrative stay after the Trump administration appealed against US District Judge Richard Leon's decision to halt above-ground construction on Thursday.
Construction is now expected to continue until the next hearing, which is due to take place on 5 June.
This week's rulings came after the appeals court ordered the judge to reconsider the national security implications of halting the work after he temporarily blocked all construction of the ballroom in March.
The ruling marks a victory for the president in his effort to redesign the storied American structure.
Leon said on Thursday that he thought the project required congressional approval, adding that the administration reclassifying the ballroom plans as vital for national security appeared to be an attempted workaround.
National security is not a blank cheque to proceed with otherwise unlawful activity, he wrote.
Following the ruling, Trump took to Truth Social to accuse the judge of attempting to prevent future Presidents and World Leaders from having a safe and secure large scale Meeting Place.
He claimed it's essential for national security, asserting, It's all tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit, which is vital for National Security and Military Operations of the United States of America!
The ballroom was designed to accommodate 1,350 guests and is funded entirely by private donors, with an estimated cost of $400 million.
The East Wing of the White House, built in 1902, was demolished last October to make space for the new ballroom and associated facilities, including bomb shelters and medical facilities.
