Supreme Court Temporarily Allows Continuation of White House Ballroom Project
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The U.S. Supreme Court issued a brief order permitting President Trump to proceed with construction of a new ballroom on the former East Wing of the White House while the legal dispute continues.
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a brief order that pauses a lower-court injunction, allowing construction of a proposed ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House to continue for now. The decision follows a series of lawsuits filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argues that congressional approval is required for the project.
The planned addition would add roughly 90,000 square feet to the White House complex, a size twice that of the existing main structure, and is projected to cost at least $300 million. President Trump has said the facility is needed for diplomatic events and national-security functions, citing features such as bomb shelters, a hospital, sniper positions and a drone port.
The case originated in March when a federal judge ruled that construction must stop unless it involved safety or security improvements. An appeals court later permitted limited work, and the Trump administration subsequently sought emergency review by the Supreme Court. In a brief signed by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court stayed the lower-court ruling, effectively allowing the project to proceed while the merits are reviewed.
The National Trust, in a filing earlier this week, warned that allowing construction to move forward would effectively end the litigation, stating that the administration appears to be trying to outrun judicial review. Public opinion polls have shown a majority of Americans disapprove of the plan to replace the East Wing with a ballroom.