Supreme Court allows Trump ballroom construction to continue

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary administrative stay on Friday allowing President Trump's White House ballroom construction to proceed, blocking lower court rulings that would have halted the above-ground portion of the project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation brought the legal challenge, arguing that the president lacked authority to proceed with the construction and objecting to the design on aesthetic grounds. A federal judge had ruled in favor of the trust, saying that while underground construction could continue, the ballroom itself could not be built while litigation remained pending. On August 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld that decision, setting a Friday deadline for construction to halt unless the Supreme Court intervened.

The $400 million, privately funded project is 65 percent complete as of August 14, according to NBC News reporting, with a 250-person crew working 20 hours a day, seven days a week. The plan includes an extensive underground component with secure locations and medical facilities that the administration has argued are vital for security purposes.

The decision is only provisional, giving the justices more time to consider next steps in the case.