Supreme Court permits continuation of White House ballroom project
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In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the historic preservation group lacks standing, allowing the Trump administration to proceed with the White House ballroom construction.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday issued an emergency order that lets the Trump administration continue work on a new ballroom at the White House, overturning lower-court rulings that had halted the above-ground portion of the project. The 5-4 vote found that the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely does not have legal standing to challenge the construction, though the court did not address whether the president has authority to proceed without congressional approval.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who had issued a similar interim decision on Aug. 21, joined the three liberal justices in dissent, writing that the ballroom construction has been ongoing for about a year and is likely unlawful. He argued that a preservationist board member, Alison Hoagland, could suffer “aesthetic injury” from the project and therefore have standing.
The administration says the ballroom is about 65% complete, with a 250-person crew working around the clock, and that the $400 million effort will be funded entirely by private donations, a claim that has faced scrutiny. The plan also includes extensive underground facilities for security and medical purposes. A federal judge and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously limited construction to the underground portion pending the lawsuit.
The trust contended that building on federal land requires explicit congressional authorization, while the administration cited other statutes that it says permit improvements to the White House grounds.