U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said on Tuesday that the organization did not adequately show that “great and certain” harm would come if Trump did not temporarily halt construction, noting that below-ground work will not begin until January and above-ground work is scheduled for April, per the Hill.
Leon did, however, put the Trump administration on “fair notice” that it should be prepared to remove below-ground changes if it were to alter the above-ground structure.
“If it does, then the court will address it — I can assure you of that,” Leon said.
The administration has until the end of December to submit its construction plans to two federal review panels.
“The preservation group sued Friday, asking for a temporary restraining order to stop the project until after it wins congressional approval and goes through multiple independent reviews and a public comment period,” noted the Hill.