Topline
The Trump administration will not have to stop construction yet on its White House ballroom, as the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a court order against the construction Friday while it weighs a lengthier ruling.
Construction continues on a new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House and the East Wing ballroom on August 10, in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to block lower court rulings that found President Donald Trump did not have authority to build the ballroom without Congress’ approval, and ordered the government to stop construction.
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a brief order Friday that blocks the lower court’s decision “pending further order” from the Supreme Court.
That means construction on the ballroom will continue until the Supreme Court issues a more lasting order on whether or not construction should be halted while the litigation plays out.
Justices faced a Friday deadline to rule on the issue, as an appeals court ruling halting construction was set to take effect if they hadn’t ruled, or had upheld the lower court’s decision.
The Trump administration has argued stopping construction could threaten national security and puts the uncompleted structure at risk of collapse, while the National Trust for Historic Preservation argues construction has to be stopped now before it’s too late.
What to Watch for
Roberts did not give any indication in his order Friday about when the court could issue a more lasting decision in the case. The Trump administration has also suggested it’s likely to ask the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments and issue a final decision on whether or not it’s legally allowed to build the ballroom, but it hasn’t formally filed that request yet.
Big Number
At least $600 million. That’s how much the White House ballroom is expected to cost, according to estimates reported by The Washington Post in June. The White House initially estimated the project would cost $200 million, later raising that to $400 million, but the Post found the actual price has ballooned even higher. Trump has claimed the project will be funded entirely by private donors—an allegation repeated in the government’s Supreme Court petition, which argued, “Zero taxpayer dollars are needed or required.” The Post found taxpayers will actually be on the hook for approximately half the costs of the ballroom construction, however.
How Far Along Is The Ballroom?
The White House has said in recent court filings that the ballroom is approximately 65% constructed, claiming crews have been working around the clock to finish building. The Trump administration has argued it would be “dangerous” to halt construction now while the project is so far along, claiming in a filing that abandoning construction “would leave an unstable, unfinished 70-foot-tall structure on White House grounds, putting the complex at risk and thwarting Secret Service protection.”
Chief Critic
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has argued allowing construction to move forward on the ballroom risks the Trump administration being able to “outrun judicial review” and reach a point where the ballroom construction is too far along to be stopped. The Trump administration “make[s] no secret of the fact that if the Court permits construction to continue, they will declare the case over,” the Trust argued in its filing to the Supreme Court, adding that if the court allows construction, “the injuries to the National Trust, its members, and the public from the unauthorized construction of the ballroom … will in all likelihood become irreversible.”
Key Background
The White House ballroom has been one of Trump’s biggest projects he’s focused on during his second term, with the president repeatedly touting the construction and the planned 90,000 square foot space. The ballroom is set to include a number of security features that the Trump administration has argued make it necessary for national security, and costs for the project have ballooned, with an initial $200 million price tag now reportedly rising to at least $600 million. The project has drawn widespread criticism since the administration first tore down the White House’s existing East Wing to make way for the ballroom, however, and the National Trust sued over construction, arguing the Trump administration doesn’t have authority to build the ballroom and it harms Americans’ historical and aesthetic interest in the landmark. Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that the ballroom construction was likely unlawful, but his order had been on hold while the higher appeals court considered the case, so construction on the ballroom has never stopped. A panel of appeals court judges then ruled 2-1 earlier in August to uphold Leon’s ruling and halt construction, writing the White House cannot continue construction while the litigation continues “without securing Congress’s authorization, as the Constitution and laws require.” The court gave the Trump administration two weeks to appeal its ruling before it took effect, however, paving the way for it to go to the Supreme Court.
Further Reading
Trump Administration Says It Doesn’t Matter If People Think White House Ballroom Is Ugly (Forbes)
Trump Asks Supreme Court To Allow White House Ballroom Construction (Forbes)
Cocktails, Bomb Shelters, Very Strong Stone: Trump Raves About Ballroom As Crews Race To Build It (Forbes)