A federal judge indicated on Tuesday that he is inclined to reject a preservationist group’s request to temporarily stop President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. The judge noted that the organization did not demonstrate that the project would cause “irreparable harm” if it proceeded.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon mentioned he could deliver a final ruling on the restraining order by Wednesday. However, he also announced plans for a subsequent hearing in January to consider the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s plea to delay the ballroom project until it undergoes several independent assessments and gains Congressional approval.

During the interim, Judge Leon cautioned the administration against making any decisions regarding underground work, such as plumbing and gas line installations, that could shape the future scope of above-ground ballroom construction. He assured that any such actions would be addressed by the court if necessary.

Following the court session, Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on social media, declaring that her department had thwarted an attempt to halt President Trump’s “legitimate” East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project. She described the Trust’s lawsuit as one of many “bad-faith left-wing legal attacks” and affirmed the department’s commitment to continue defending the project in court over the coming weeks.

President Trump initiated the ballroom construction without first consulting two federal review panels: the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts. Trump has appointed allies to the planning commission, including its chairman, Will Scharf, who has expressed expectations to receive the ballroom plans later this month.

Leon made a couple of references during the hearing to the administration having just two weeks to submit the plans. Adam Gustafson, the principal deputy assistant attorney general, said the administration had “initiated outreach” to the panel to do just that, but no date had been set.

Trump recently dismissed all members of the fine arts panel. He has yet to name replacements.

Gustafson argued at the hearing that the Trust has no standing in the case to sue and that underground construction must continue for national security reasons that were not outlined in open court. He also said Trump is exempt from federal laws the Trust said he has failed to follow.

Gustafson said the Trust cannot show “irreparable harm” because the ballroom plans have not been finalized and construction above ground was not scheduled to begin until April at the earliest.

Tad Heuer, the attorney representing the Trust — a private, nonprofit organization — said that with every day that construction is allowed to proceed absent the independent reviews, the government gets to say “wait and find out” what the ballroom will look like.

“It’s not about the need for a ballroom. It’s about the need to follow the law,” Heuer said of the case.

The White House announced the ballroom project over the summer and by late October, Trump had demolished the East Wing of the White House to build in its place a ballroom that he said will be big enough to fit 999 people at an estimated cost of $300 million in private funding.