Trump looks to Supreme Court for ballroom lifeline

US President Donald Trump has requested the Supreme Court to permit the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House, bypassing the need for congressional approval. This emergency request follows an appeals court decision that halted construction until Congress greenlights the project, after the National Trust for Historic Preservation challenged the administration's actions last year.

In the latest legal filing, US Solicitor General D John Sauer urged the Supreme Court to allow work to continue while the administration appeals the court's order to cease construction, deeming it dangerous. Trump has maintained that the existing White House lacks a spacious ballroom, crucial for national security events. The appeals court ruling will not take effect until August 21, when construction would need to cease unless the Supreme Court grants the emergency application.

Sauer pointed out in his filing that 65% of the project is already completed, and not granting the emergency application would constitute construction-by-injunction. He argued that the injunction's stop-work mandate is inequitable and potentially impossible to enforce. The White House ballroom project has been embroiled in legal disputes since October, when the administration demolished the East Wing to commence construction without congressional review, approval, or public input.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued, claiming the project was unlawful due to its lack of legal review, including public comment and approval from entities such as the National Capital Planning Commission. The administration maintains that the ballroom, along with military facilities like bomb shelters and medical centers, is funded entirely by private donations, thus eliminating the need for congressional approval.

The ballroom addition is part of Trump's larger initiative to transform Washington's architectural landscape, which includes the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned Arc de Trump modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The administration has been accused of circumventing required review and public-comment processes in these projects, a claim the president denies.