Supreme Court allows Trump to move forward with White House ballroom construction

The court split 5-4 to block lower court rulings that would have put the project on hold amid challenges to the president’s authority over the construction.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday handed a win to President Donald Trump by allowing him to move forward indefinitely with the construction of his new White House ballroom.

The court, divided 5-4, granted an emergency request filed by the Trump administration, blocking lower court rulings that would have put the aboveground portion of the project on hold. This followed an interim decision along similar lines issued by Chief Justice John Roberts on Aug. 21.

The legal challenge was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the president did not have unilateral authority to proceed with construction.

In the unsigned ruling, the court said that the trust likely does not have legal standing to bring the underlying lawsuit. The court did not reach any conclusion on whether Trump has authority to carry out construction without congressional approval.

“Today, we do not pass upon the legality of the government’s East Wing project. We conclude only that, based on the submissions before us, the government is likely to prevail in showing that the Trust lacks ... standing to challenge the project in federal court,” the court said.