U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump continue White House ballroom construction

The White House ballroom project can keep moving, even though the Supreme Court did not decide whether the construction itself complies with the law. The court ruled 5-4 that the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacked the legal authority to challenge the work.

That decision overturns the immediate obstacle created by a federal appeals court, which had ordered the administration to halt construction in early August. The appeals court said a president is only a temporary resident of the White House, not its owner, and that major renovations should therefore receive congressional approval.

Trump ordered the current East Wing replaced with a ballroom covering about 8,400 square meters. Construction had already begun before the appeals court issued its order, and the work did not have to stop while the Supreme Court considered the case. The administration says the project is now more than halfway complete.

The estimated cost is $400 million, or about 345 million euros. Trump’s administration says the new space is needed for large events and will include new security arrangements. Trump argues that Congress does not need to approve the project because private funds, rather than taxpayer money, will finance it.

A conservative chief justice joined the dissent, warning that the project might be unlawful and emphasizing the White House’s unique status as a building. CNN reported that the ruling may give Trump enough time to bring the construction close to completion, even if challenges continue in other courts.