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Supreme Court allows White House to continue construction on Trump's $400 million ballroom

Americas 18 sources 6 countries 6m ago

The Supreme Court on Monday let Donald Trump's administration continue construction of his White House ballroom while the president challenges a judicial order that would halt much of the development. WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court lets White House continue construction on Trump’s $400 million ballroom. The US Supreme Court in a 5-4 ruling on Monday let Donald Trump’s administration continue construction of his White House ballroom complex while the US president challenges a judicial order that would halt much of the development, with Chief Justice John Roberts in a dissent calling the project “likely unlawful”.

The court granted the administration’s request to block a lower court’s order halting above-ground construction of the US$400 million ballroom while a lawsuit by a historic preservation... Supreme Court on Monday allowed construction to continue on President Donald Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project, handing the administration a significant victory as court challenges over the $400 million development move forward. The high court’s decision temporarily lifts restrictions imposed by lower courts that would have halted much of the construction work while the case is litigated, Yahoo!

Justices’ 5-4 ruling permits Trump administration appeal to block lower court order halting above-ground workA divided US supreme court has permitted Donald Trump to continue building his controversial $400m White House ballroom despite legal challenges, raising the likelihood it will be completed.In a 5-4 ruling, the justices permitted the Trump administration’s request to ⁠block a lower court order which had halted above-ground construction of the project while a lawsuit by a historic preservation group seeks to block it. A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out. The ruling allows the Trump administration to continue the $400 million White House ballroom construction project for now.

The ruling was backed by five of the court's six conservative justices. US President Donald Trump praised the decision in a post on his Truth Social platform. The National Trust for Historic Preservation argued the president did not have authority to proceed with construction.

The justices intervened Monday after lower courts found work must stop because the project doesn't have congressional approval. WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out, a win for President Donald Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image.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.Roberts publicly dissented from the latest order, however, joining with the court's three liberal-leaning justices, who called the construction “likely unlawful.”The majority did not decide the legality of the project, but found a preservation group likely did not have the legal right to challenge it.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 Trump administration asked the justices to intervene after federal courts found the project must halt because it didn't have congressional approval.The lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. The group’s lawyers accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.

Government lawyers said the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns, though those were not an initial focus when Trump announced the work he said would be funded by private donations.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.U.S. 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.

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