John Roberts lets Trump White House ballroom work continue for now

Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily allowed the Trump administration to keep building the White House ballroom. The order keeps the project moving while the Supreme Court weighs presidential power and congressional oversight.

In Short

• Lower courts had blocked aboveground work without prior congressional approval
• Administration says ballroom completion is vital for security and federal operations
• Preservationists argue the president cannot unilaterally alter historic White House grounds

US Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White House to continue, for now, construction of President Donald Trump's USD 400 million ballroom project while the Supreme Court considers the administration's emergency request to step into the legal battle. The temporary order came hours before lower-court rulings would have forced a halt to aboveground construction because Trump had not obtained congressional approval.

The one-page order will remain in force until the Supreme Court gives a more lasting decision, though it does not explain Roberts' reasoning or say when the court will rule next. Roberts signed the order in his role overseeing emergency appeals from cases filed in the capital. Later on Friday, Trump thanked the court and Roberts at a political event in South Carolina, saying, "When they say proceed, I think that's a good thing. That's a good thing."

The case has reached the top court as Trump pushes broad claims of presidential power and seeks to reshape the capital. The administration has argued that the president has full authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit, and that the ballroom must be completed because of national security concerns. When Trump first announced the plan, however, he did not stress national security and said the project would be paid for through private donations, including from himself.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has argued that Trump does not have unilateral authority to carry out the work, which has included the demolition of the East Wing. Lawyers for the group accused the White House of trying to "outrun the courts" by speeding up construction. A spokesperson for the trust said on Friday that Roberts' order was not a final decision and that the group was awaiting further action. Trump also wrote on social media that the project was "under budget and ahead of schedule."

According to court filings by the Justice Department, 65 per cent of the work on the planned 90,000-square-foot, or 8,400-square-metre, ballroom has already been completed on the site where the East Wing stood before Trump ordered its demolition. The administration said crews were working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and that about USD 200 million in private donations had been spent or committed.

The work has continued as the case has moved through the courts. In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction. That ruling was briefly suspended and then upheld by an appeals court panel. US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington allowed only belowground work on bunkers and military installations to continue. Leon, who was nominated by President George W. Bush, was backed by an appeals panel in which two judges appointed by Democratic presidents said the project was for Congress to decide and was "not a matter for Executive self-help." A third judge appointed by Trump said the preservation group had no legal standing to sue.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer repeated that argument in the Supreme Court, calling the decision halting the work "extraordinary and unlawful" and saying completion of the project was "vitally required by national security." The Trump administration has won a series of emergency matters at the Supreme Court, though the justices have also ruled against some of the president's signature policies after fuller review. For now, Roberts' order means construction can continue while the Supreme Court decides whether the project can keep going during what could be a lengthy lawsuit.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends