The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to continue construction of a $400 million ballroom complex at the White House, overturning a lower-court order that had halted above-ground work while a legal challenge against the project proceeds.
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The 5-4 decision was a victory for Trump, who has pushed ahead with the project despite a lawsuit arguing that the president does not have the authority to undertake such a major alteration to the White House complex without congressional approval.
The court’s unsigned order did not rule definitively on whether the ballroom itself is lawful. Instead, it found that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the group challenging the project, likely lacked the legal standing to bring the case and said the government could face "irreparable harm" if construction were stopped.
The decision was backed by five of the court’s six conservative justices. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, joining the court’s three liberal justices.
In a strongly worded dissent, Roberts argued that the ruling did not resolve the central legal question and said the ballroom was "likely unlawful" because Congress had not expressly authorised its construction.
Roberts pointed to federal law governing construction on federal parkland and public grounds in Washington, arguing that Congress has authority over federal property in the capital.
"Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers," he wrote, as reported by the Associated Press.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had argued that Trump lacked unilateral authority to demolish the White House's East Wing and replace it with a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Lower courts had previously agreed that construction should be halted above ground while the legal challenge continued. A federal appeals court upheld that order earlier this month, saying the president could not fundamentally reshape the White House without congressional approval.
Trump hails Supreme Court ruling
Trump welcomed the decision, calling the lawsuit "baseless" and celebrating what he described as a victory for his ballroom and wider military complex.
"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," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
