Two Democrat federal judges handed President Trump an unusual victory Saturday, allowing his new ballroom project to go forward.
The appeals court majority overruled a lower-court judge who had recently issued an order stopping construction.
The 2-1 order from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is a temporary win for Trump in a protracted legal fight over whether he has the authority to build the ballroom on the site of the former East Wing without approval from Congress.
Trump has argued that since the project is privately financed he doesn’t need congressional approval.
The appeals court said work on the project can continue until at least April 17.
The court returned the case to a federal judge who initially ruled against it, saying he needed to look closer at the White House’s argument that construction must continue for national security and safety reasons, according to CNN.
The two judges who decided to send the case back down were appointed by former Democrat presidents Obama and Biden.
The dissenting judge was appointed by Trump during his first term.
After Trump demolished the East Wing last year to begin construction, the nation’s top historic preservation group went to court challenging the legality of the project, arguing Congress needed to approve it.
