Preservationists are pressing ahead with their lawsuit against President Donald Trump's planned $400 million White House ballroom, declining a request by the Department of Justice to withdraw it.

Construction is expected to continue at the White House until the next hearing which is due to take place in June.

Construction is expected to continue at the White House until the next hearing which is due to take place in June.

April 17 (UPI) -- All above-ground construction of the White House ballroom must be stopped amid litigation, a federal judge ordered Thursday, reprimanding the Trump administration for trying to justify continued work on the building as necessary for national and presidential security concerns.

The judge allows the underground bunker portion of the project to proceed, while the US president says the ballroom "is needed now".

A U.S. judge blocked Trump from proceeding with above-ground construction of his 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom, in a near-term blow to the administration's plans.

A federal judge who halted construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom clarified on Thursday that the administration can proceed with below-ground construction of a