A Justice Department lawyer told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit the Trump administration could demolish the Statue of Liberty before anyone could sue to stop it.
Judge Patricia Millett pressed the government's lawyer on the implications, asking if there would be legal recourse if the government moved too fast, reports ABC News.
"If the govt decides very quickly to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancestors — that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the govt moved too fast — nothing can be done?" she asked, reports Politico's Kyle Cheney.
The lawyer responded, "I think that's right, yes."
The exchange occurred during oral arguments over President Donald Trump's controversial $400 million White House ballroom project on the demolished East Wing site. The administration argues no one has legal standing to challenge projects once demolition is complete, reports Cheney.
However, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that the president lacks authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.
The ballroom fight represents one of several Trump efforts to unilaterally remake American landmarks, including painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue and planning a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump defends the ballroom as a national security necessity with a "DronePort" roof feature.
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