A Virginia couple asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration from further demolition of the White House for the construction of a new ballroom. Their effort, however, was too little, too late.
Within hours of the couple’s legal filing, the White House announced that demolition of the East Wing had been completed after four days of work. The wing is a 123-year-old structure that has hosted countless tourists and dignitaries and housed the first lady’s offices.
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Charles and Judith Voorhees filed a legal motion Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, requesting a judge stop any further damage to the White House while legal justification for the project is reviewed. They sought a temporary restraining order to halt the demolition, saying the work should not continue without first going through proper “approvals or reviews.”
However, on Saturday, a lawyer representing the Voorheeses said their efforts were “too little too late.”
“I’ve received dozens of e-mails from people all over our Country who are very concerned about Trump’s reckless destruction of the People’s House,” Mark Denicore, who filed the challenge on behalf of the couple, told Straight Arrow News. “It’s incredibly disappointing. At this point, I’m not sure where we are going from here.”
President Donald Trump initially said that the 90,000-square-foot, $300 million ballroom would be built without damaging the existing White House.
Trump mentioned as defendant
The legal challenge lists Trump and Jessica Brown, director of the National Park Service, as defendants. It argues that the project violates the National Capital Planning Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, and that it requires oversight by the Commission of Fine Arts.
However, at least one of the laws cited contains “explicit” exemptions for the White House, as well as the Capitol and Supreme Court buildings, according to Politico.
The court filing reportedly failed to include a formal complaint that traditionally begins a lawsuit. It was also improperly labeled in the court’s online tracking system.
Politico reported that the filing marks what appears to be the first legal challenge to the White House’s ballroom plans.
“I feel like a lot of people want to do something about this, but nothing seems to be happening,” Denicore told Politico on Thursday. “I threw that together as fast as I could to try to get it filed as fast as I could.”
Asked by Politico about why the couple is concerned with the project, Denicore responded, “They’re just people, U.S. citizens, that don’t like their house being torn down without going through proper procedures.”
White House pushes back against filing
The White House responded to the legal motion, contending that the ballroom project is in line with all legal mandates.
“President Trump has full legal authority to modernize, renovate, and beautify the White House — just like all of his predecessors did,” a statement to Politico read.
The White House said earlier this week that it would soon submit plans for the ballroom project to the proper authorities. The work has drawn criticism from Democrats and preservationists, who argue the project lacks transparency and is being done in secrecy.
This story was updated Saturday, Oct. 25, to include a comment from the Voorhees’ legal team.
