President Donald Trump is facing legal action over the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, part of a $300 million plan to build a new ballroom on the executive grounds.

A Virginia couple, Charles and Judith Voorhees, filed an emergency motion in federal court on October 23 seeking to halt the project, alleging that it violates multiple federal preservation and planning laws.

Newsweek contacted the White House and attorneys for the couple for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.

The fight over Trump’s demolition project goes beyond a construction dispute—it’s a test of presidential power, public ownership, and historic preservation.

The Voorhees lawsuit seeking to halt the project argues that Trump bypassed laws meant to protect national landmarks and public transparency.

At stake is whether a sitting president can unilaterally alter one of the country’s most symbolically important buildings, or whether the "People’s House" must remain subject to the same review and accountability standards that govern other federal projects.

The filing, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 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.

The defendants are listed as Trump, in his official capacity, and Jessica Brown, director of the National Park Service.

Attorney Mark R. Denicore, who represents the Voorheeses, said he acted quickly to file the case. "I threw that together as fast as I could to try to get it filed as fast as I could," Denicore told Politico on Thursday.

He added that his clients "are just people, U.S. citizens, that don’t like their house being torn down without going through proper procedures."