The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an urgent notice over the weekend to a court injunction that halted construction on a $400 million addition to the White House.
Known as the "East Wing Project,” the ballroom is intended to replace plastic or canvas tents that are placed on the South Lawn with a permanent, 90,000-square-foot event space.
The Notice of Supplemental Authority was spurred by another shooter who allegedly sought to murder President Donald Trump, his family, or his staff on May 23 at the White House complex.
The would be assassin, who was armed with a high-caliber gun, was killed after opening fire outside a White House security checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday.
Secret Service officers were forced to return fire and an innocent bystander was also injured.
“Without this National Security Facility, such events are otherwise relegated to the vulnerable tents on the South Lawn, exposed to various threats, as again shown by last night’s shooting, which would have been easily in range to reach a tent,” U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in the brief.
It was the second attack on or near the White House in a month.
In April, Cole Tomas Allen, 31, allegedly attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump at the April 25 annual White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives when he breached security checkpoints outside the Washington Hilton ballroom where the dinner was taking place, according to authorities.
Attorneys for the DOJ argued for the dissolution of the injunction because, once complete, the National Security facility will provide a safe haven from attackers.
“These include a heavy steel, drone proof roof, missile resistant and drone proof columns, bullet, ballistic, and blast proof glass, Military grade venting for air conditioning and heating, and much more,” the pleading states.
Trump has said private donations will pay for the ballroom project.
However, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon granted the preliminary injunction because he said the Trump administration allegedly bypassed proper protocol.