Supreme Court Lets Trump Ballroom Work Continue
Without the stay, the White House would have had to stop work Friday as preservationists press for review of plans that include demolishing the East Wing.
laupäev, 22. august 2026 09:07
The US Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom to continue, issuing a stay while it considers a case seeking to halt the $400m project.
The order by Chief Justice John Roberts, reported by BBC News, will remain in place pending further action from the court. Without it, the White House would have been legally required to halt construction on Friday.
The case reached the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court ordered work to stop earlier this month. The appeals court ruled that Trump was a “temporary tenant” of the White House and could not make the alterations without congressional approval, giving the administration two weeks to appeal.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit in December, argues the project is causing irreversible damage to a historical landmark and would become irreversible unless stopped immediately. “We are aware of the administrative stay,” the group said Friday. “To be clear, this is not a final decision on the merits of the government's stay application, and we await further action.”
Trump said on Truth Social that he was grateful for the court’s decision and called the new complex “vital for National Security”. “It is something that Presidents have wanted for 150 years, and that the Military has been seeking for the last 100 years. Their wish will soon be fulfilled!” he wrote.
The project was announced in July 2025 as a 650-person ballroom that would incorporate the existing building. Revised plans later expanded capacity to about 1,000 and call for demolishing the East Wing, with a large entertaining space above ground and a security complex below ground to address threats including drones, ballistic missiles and biohazards.
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