Judge Leon had stayed his ruling for 14 days in the original ruling. This ruling extends the stay by another 3 days. The majority of this court of appeals panel wants more information about the national security claims and the GOP judge wanted to just lift the stay. Expect more filings next week and there may be a hearing to put on the record what national security interests need to be addressed.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/appeals-court-punts-trump-bid-to-revive-white-house-ballroom
A federal appeals court asked a Washington federal judge to further explain his ruling that blocked President Donald Trump from building a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the demolished White House East Wing.
The order from a divided three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on Saturday sidesteps, for now, the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court decision that halted construction until Congress approved the project, while the government appeals it.
Justice Department lawyers had argued in an April 3 emergency motion that the lower court’s order pausing construction and leaving an open excavation site is “untenable” and threatened the security of Trump and his family and staff. The government also said it may ask the Supreme Court for emergency relief if the request is denied.
The appeals court sent the case back to Senior Judge Richard Leon, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, for the judge to “promptly address” a request to clarify his ruling and its exception for construction needed for safety and security. The panel also extended a stay on Leon’s order until April 17 to give the federal government time to ask the Supreme Court to review the appeals court’s remand order.
The panel said they could not “fairly determine, on this hurried record” the extent to which the lower court’s exception for security-related work may address the Trump administration’s claims that ruling puts White House staff at risk. They also said it “remains unclear” how ballroom construction affects below-ground security upgrades.
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