Overview
- Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary administrative stay on Friday that allows above‑ground construction on the planned ballroom to continue while the Supreme Court reviews the administration’s emergency appeal.
- Lower courts had ordered above‑ground work stopped after the National Trust for Historic Preservation sued, and the D.C. Circuit on Aug. 7 upheld a district judge’s injunction that permitted only below‑ground security work to go forward.
- The administration says the project is a combined above‑ and below‑ground security complex tied to a roughly $400 million, 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom that is about 65% complete with roughly $200 million in private commitments.
- Preservationists argue the president lacks unilateral authority to remake the East Wing and that Congress must authorize fundamental alterations to the White House, while the Justice Department says halting the work would threaten security.
- How the Supreme Court decides will shape whether presidents can order major permanent changes to federal landmarks without Congress and could affect the pace of construction and funding choices for the project going forward.