White House Ballroom Project Faces Supreme Court Challenge

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend construction of the White House’s new ballroom while it determines whether the work may legally continue. The request was submitted less than a week after the Trump administration asked the Court to allow the $400 million project to proceed during the appeals process. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline for the Trust to respond in writing before the Court considers the administration’s stay petition.

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Attorneys for the Trust contend the administration is trying to “outrun judicial review.” A divided appeals-court panel upheld a district-court order pausing above-ground construction, while the order was suspended to let the administration appeal. District Judge Richard Leon, appointed by President George W. The Justice Department counters that the open construction site makes it harder to protect the historic building and argues the Trust lacks standing to sue.

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The administration, represented by John Sauer, maintains that the president possesses unimpeded authority to renovate the White House and that the project includes an underground military facility essential for national-security protection. Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on the stay petition before the appeals-court decision takes effect on Friday, describing the injunction as “extraordinary and unlawful.” The Trust argues the preliminary injunction is “narrowly tailored” and permits continuation of the underground facility while seeking a full halt to the ballroom work.

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The planned ballroom covers roughly 90,000 square feet (8,400 square meters) and has required demolition of the East Wing. Construction began ten months ago and, according to the administration, is about 65 % complete. The project also includes an integrated underground military complex that the administration says is “vitally required by national security.”

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• “This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” — General D. John Sauer

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