A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out.
The Trump administration asked the justices to intervene after federal courts found the project must halt because it didn’t have congressional approval.
The lawsuit will return to lower courts, but documents say that key portions of the project could be complete within months — a quick timeline compared with a typical legal case. The lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that President Donald Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. US District Judge Richard Leon ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom in April, though the order would allow work on bunkers and military installations below ground to continue. Leon was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican. The administration has scored a series of other victories on the high court’s emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review.
The administration has said crews are working 20 hours a day on the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom. The framework is expected to be completed in November and much of the facade done by April, with full completion slated for August 2028, according to court documents.
The group’s lawyers accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.
The decision replaces a temporary order from Chief Justice John Roberts previously issued hours before a lower-court decision halting the work would have gone into effect.
