❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Virginia couple filed a lawsuit to stop the demolition of the White House East Wing as part of President Donald J. Trump’s $300 million plan to build a new ballroom and modernize the structure.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Plaintiffs Charles and Judith Voorhees, President Trump, and National Park Service Director Jessica Brown.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The lawsuit was filed on October 23, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
💬KEY QUOTE: “In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure.” – Donald Trump
🎯IMPACT: While a court date has not yet been set, the lawsuit is unlikely to advance much further. The initial filing does not actually include a formal complaint, and at least one of the laws cited as grounds for the temporary restraining order has specific and clear exemptions for the White House, the Supreme Court, and the U.S Capitol.
Virginia couple Charles and Judith Voorhees filed an emergency motion in federal court on October 23 to halt the demolition of the White House complex’s East Wing outbuilding, part of President Donald J. Trump‘s $300 million plan to build a new ballroom on the executive grounds for state events. In the filing, the Voorhees allege the demolition and planned ballroom violate multiple federal preservation and planning laws.
The lawsuit argues that the Trump administration bypassed laws meant to protect national landmarks and ensure public transparency. The filing requests a temporary restraining order “to halt defendants’ destruction of the East Wing of the White House… without legally required approvals or reviews,” according to the plaintiffs’ application for injunctive relief. Attorney Mark R. Denicore, representing the Voorheeses, stated, “I threw that together as fast as I could to try to get it filed as fast as I could.”
While a court date has not yet been set, the lawsuit is unlikely to advance much further. The initial filing doesn’t actually include a formal complaint, and at least one of the laws cited as grounds for the temporary restraining order has specific and clear exemptions for the White House, the Supreme Court, and the U.S Capitol.
The East Wing, historically home to first ladies’ offices and ceremonial events, has already been partially demolished as part of Trump’s proposal to construct a ballroom for official events with large attendance, like state dinners. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration had made clear that the East Wing—a largely 1940s construction entirely separate from the iconic White House Executive Residence—would need to be “modernized” and noted that “plans changed” after consulting with architects and construction firms.
The planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom will replace the “small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing” with a larger facility capable of hosting 650 guests, according to a White House press release. The project will be funded by President Trump and other private donors.
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