Preservation group urges Supreme Court to suspend Trump’s White House ballroom project

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a preservation group, has requested the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend construction of President Donald Trump's planned White House ballroom. This request was made less than a week after the Trump administration approached the court to permit the ongoing $400 million project. The trust contended that the administration bypassed Congress and attempted to evade judicial review.

The ballroom project involves the demolition of the East Wing and is part of Trump's scheme to rapidly transform Washington. The trust's move follows a decision by a divided appeals court to temporarily halt aboveground construction on the project, which was later suspended to allow the administration to appeal. The U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, nominated by Republican President George W. Bush, ruled that the president's claimed authority to renovate the White House was unsupported by any statute.

The administration maintains that the president has unrestricted power to renovate the White House without congressional or court intervention. The ongoing construction, which has transformed the White House into an open site, complicates efforts to safeguard the historic building, according to the Justice Department. Additionally, the administration argues that the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacks the legal standing to sue over the ballroom project.