Supreme Court allows Trump's White House ballroom construction to continue

Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday signed a temporary order allowing construction of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom to continue, temporarily pausing a lower court injunction that was set to take effect the same day.

The stay will remain in place until the Supreme Court takes further action on the Trump administration's emergency appeal. Roberts' one-page order did not detail his reasoning or indicate when the court would issue a more durable decision.

A federal appeals court had earlier this month ordered work to halt on the project, concluding that Trump lacked authority to make such alterations to the White House without congressional approval. The appeals court found that the president is a "temporary tenant" of the White House and cannot undertake major construction without legislative authorization. That ruling was scheduled to take effect Friday at midnight.

The Trump administration had requested the Supreme Court intervene last week to allow construction to proceed. The ballroom project, estimated to cost between $300 million and $400 million, involves construction of approximately 90,000 square feet on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, which Trump demolished last year.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit organization, filed the original lawsuit challenging the project. The group argued that the ballroom would become irreversible unless construction was halted immediately and that congressional approval is required before work can continue.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon had issued an injunction in April ruling that only underground components of the project deemed necessary for White House safety and security could proceed without congressional approval. The administration appealed that decision, citing a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner as evidence supporting the security rationale for the project.

The administration accelerated construction work in recent months, according to officials, seeking to advance the project to a point of irreversibility despite the ongoing litigation over whether the president exceeded his authority by bypassing congressional approval.

President Trump responded to Roberts' order on Truth Social, stating: "We are grateful for the Decision of the United States Supreme Court. The Military/Ballroom Complex being built on the hallowed grounds of the White House, which is so vital for National Security, will be THE GREATEST OF ITS KIND!"

The temporary order is an administrative stay that could be lifted by the entire Supreme Court. The high court is now considering the full merits of the Trump administration's emergency appeal while the stay remains in effect.