US judge orders Trump to halt $400m White House ballroom project

A US judge has blocked Donald Trump from proceeding with the construction of his $400m White House ballroom.

The US president demolished the East Wing of the White House last year to make way for the project.

US district judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a request for a preliminary injunction by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization that brought a lawsuit alleging Trump exceeded his authority when he razed the historic East Wing and launched construction without approval from Congress.

The decision by Leon, an appointee of Republican president George W Bush, keeps the 90,000-sq-ft ballroom project on hold while the lawsuit continues.

More details soon …