Supreme Court Lets Trump’s Ballroom Proceed

The US Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to continue construction of his $400m White House ballroom project for now, temporarily pausing a judicial order that would have halted much of the work.

The administrative stay gives the justices additional time to consider the administration’s request to continue construction while a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation proceeds.

The organization sued after the administration demolished the White House East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot (8,360-square-meter) ballroom without seeking specific approval from Congress. The East Wing was originally built in 1902 and greatly expanded in 1942.

A lower-court order had halted above-ground construction while allowing underground work and construction strictly necessary for White House safety and security to continue. An appeals court upheld that order on 7 August, ruling that each president is “a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House” and cannot fundamentally reshape it without congressional approval.

Justice Department lawyers and Trump have defended the project as a security necessity. The development combines the above-ground ballroom with an extensive underground complex that Trump has said includes bomb shelters, medical facilities and protection against drones and missiles.

The Justice Department said the overall East Wing project, including the underground facilities and above-ground ballroom, is 65% complete.

(Reuters, max)