Supreme Court lets Trump keep building $400 million White House ballroom
What's next: The preservation lawsuit continues after the justices split 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts calling the project likely unlawful.
The Supreme Court on Aug. 31 cleared Donald Trump’s administration to keep building a $400 million White House ballroom complex while a legal challenge moves forward. In a 5-4 ruling, the court blocked a lower-court order that had stopped above-ground construction of the 90,000-square-foot project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued after the administration tore down the White House East Wing and began work without specific congressional approval. Five conservative justices found the group likely lacked standing and said halting construction could cause irreparable harm tied to national security. Roberts, joined by the three liberal justices, dissented and wrote that Congress had not given the executive branch express authority to build on federal grounds in President’s Park.