The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted the construction of a new ballroom at the White House to continue, overturning previous rulings that sought to halt the $400 million project. The 5-4 decision on Monday granted the Trump administration's emergency request, allowing the project, which includes an underground military complex, to move forward.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation had filed a legal challenge, asserting that the president lacked the unilateral authority to proceed with the construction. The organization argued that the demolition of the historic East Wing of the executive residence last autumn to begin building the ballroom was causing irreversible damage to a historical landmark.
Earlier on Friday, the high court had temporarily allowed construction to proceed by issuing a stay while it considered the lawsuit. Chief Justice John Roberts, in the unsigned order on Monday, stated that the Trump administration had demonstrated it was likely to succeed in arguing that it would suffer irreparable harm without a stay and that the balance of equities favored its position. The majority also indicated that the Trust might lack the legal standing to challenge the East Wing project.
However, three dissenting liberal justices, joined by Chief Justice Roberts, wrote in a dissent that "construction is likely unlawful." They argued that Congress has explicitly prohibited the construction of any building or structure on federal grounds in the capital "without express authority of Congress," and that the legislative branch had not passed any law providing such authority for the Executive's construction project.
President Trump has long contended that the White House requires a larger event space and, more recently, that the new facility is important for his security.