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‘Golden age of America’: Trump celebrates as Supreme Court clears $400 million White House ballroom
🇮🇳 India /Crime & Justice

‘Golden age of America’: Trump celebrates as Supreme Court clears $400 million White House ballroom

From Times of India · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 order, allowed the Trump administration to resume above-ground construction of a $400 million White House ballroom complex.
  • The court did not decide whether the project is lawful, but said the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacked standing and that halting work could cause irreparable harm.
  • Chief Justice John Roberts said the ballroom was likely unlawful without explicit congressional authorization, while Trump called the lawsuit baseless.

Donald Trump celebrated a Supreme Court ruling that lets construction continue on a $400 million ballroom complex at the White House, even though the court did not settle whether the project itself is legal.

irreparable harm

— U.S. Supreme CourtThe court cited the potential harm to the government if construction were stopped.

The unsigned 5-4 order overturned a lower-court pause on above-ground work while the National Trust for Historic Preservation challenges the project. The justices said the group likely lacked legal standing and that stopping construction could cause the government “irreparable harm.”

Five of the court’s six conservative justices backed the decision. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent. Roberts argued that the ruling left the central legal question unresolved and said the project was “likely unlawful” because Congress had not expressly authorized it.

likely unlawful

— John RobertsThe chief justice used the phrase in his dissent, arguing that Congress had not authorized the project.

The preservation group says Trump cannot unilaterally demolish the White House East Wing and replace it with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. Earlier court rulings had found that construction should stop while the legal challenge continued, with a federal appeals court saying the president could not fundamentally reshape the White House without congressional approval.

Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers

— John RobertsRoberts criticized the ruling for failing to resolve the constitutional and legal issue.

Trump welcomed the ruling in a post on Truth Social, calling the lawsuit “baseless” and describing it as a victory for the “Ballroom/Military Complex.” His administration has defended the project as both an expansion of the White House and a security measure. Justice Department lawyers said the complex would connect to an underground military installation, while Trump has said it would include bomb shelters, medical facilities and protection against drones and missiles.

I am pleased to report that the United States Supreme Court has just ruled in favor of the Ballroom/Military Complex being built without any further contingency, doubt, or threat.

— Donald TrumpTrump celebrated the ruling in a Truth Social post.
About this summary

Originally published by Times of India in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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