Source: Fortune.com
Summary
Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily allowed the Trump administration to continue construction on the $400 million White House ballroom project, as the Supreme Court reviews an emergency appeal. The order prevents a halt to aboveground work until a final decision is made. The administration claims the project is needed for national security, while the National Trust for Historic Preservation argues it lacks legal authority. The project, 65% complete, has faced multiple court challenges. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the broader legal questions.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Roberts paused the halt on the ballroom project.
The administration claims national security.
The trust says the president has no power.
The project moves forward despite legal fights.
The Supreme Court will decide later.
Presidential power is being tested in real time.
Author: Evan Null
Ballroom Case Tests the Limits of Presidential Power
The case is coming before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image. The administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns. When Trump first announced the plans for a new ballroom, he did not emphasize national security. He said the project would be funded by private donations, including from himself.
While Litigation Plays Out, the Ballroom Is Going Up Quickly
The Trump administration says 65% of the work has already been completed on the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom, where the East Wing stood before the president ordered its demolition. Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, on the project, where about $200 million in private donations has been spent or committed, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department. The work has proceeded against the backdrop of the litigation winding through the courts.
Legal Challenges and Court Rulings
In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to the aboveground construction of the planned ballroom. That ruling was briefly suspended, then upheld by an appeals court panel. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington allowed work to continue only belowground on bunkers and military installations. Leon was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican. Leon’s decision was upheld by an appeals court panel, as two judges appointed by Democratic presidents found the project was for Congress to decide and “not a matter for Executive self-help.” A third judge, appointed by Trump, found that the preservationist group challenging the project had no legal standing to sue.
Administration’s Legal Arguments
Solicitor General D. John Sauer picked up on that argument, calling the decision halting the work “extraordinary and unlawful.” He said the completion of the project was “vitally required by national security.” The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review. The administration continues to push forward with the project, despite legal challenges and public scrutiny.
Public and Legal Reactions
The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction. A spokesperson for the trust said Friday that the order from Roberts is not a final decision and the group is awaiting further action. The full Supreme Court will likely weigh in next on whether construction can continue for the potentially long duration of the lawsuit.
