Supreme Court clears way for Trump to keep building White House ballroom

A federal court has allowed construction of a $400 million, 90,000 square foot ballroom at the White House to proceed, a win for President Donald Trump. In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court granted the administration's emergency request, halting lower court rulings that would have stopped work on an above-ground section of the project.

Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, was among the three liberal justices who dissented, arguing the project was likely unlawful as Congress had not approved it. The National Trust for Historic Preservation challenged the construction, asserting the president lacked unilateral authority to move forward. The court temporarily enabled construction on Friday while they deliberated on the lawsuit aiming to halt it entirely.

In Monday's unsigned order, the majority claimed the preservation group "lacks standing" to sue the government, stating that the Trump administration had proven it was likely to succeed in arguing that it would "suffer irreparable harm without a stay." Trump expressed his satisfaction with the ruling, calling it a "victory" for the "Golden Age of America."

However, the preservation group maintained its disappointment with the decision, welcoming the "strong dissent" by Roberts.