Supreme Court allows White House ballroom construction to proceed

The Supreme Court on Monday permitted President Trump to proceed with plans to build a ballroom at the White House. The 5-4 ruling is likely the final word on the project, which can now proceed with above-ground work after it was halted while the case played out in court. The majority decision noted that the justices did not pass upon the legality of the government's East Wing project, but rather concluded that the government is likely to prevail in showing that the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacks standing to challenge the project in federal court. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the decision.

In his dissenting opinion, Roberts wrote that construction was likely unlawful. The court is allowing construction to proceed not because that construction is legal, but because the Trust likely lacks standing, Roberts wrote. The decision follows an interim Supreme Court order earlier this month pausing a D.C. federal court's halt on all construction while the justices considered Trump's request to keep the project moving.

The project has been estimated to cost at least $600 million, up from the initial $400 million price tag when the administration announced its plans. Trump has said private donors would fund the ballroom, but his administration has asked Congress to use taxpayer dollars for security upgrades for it and other areas of the White House complex. About $352 million in taxpayer dollars was redirected to the project in June from money allocated through the One Big, Beautiful Bill.