Supreme Court Allows Trump Ballroom

PHOTO CAPTION: FILE PHOTO: The demolition of the East Wing of the White House, the location of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed ballroom is seen from an elevated position on the North side of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 23, 2025. REUTERS/ Andrew Leyden/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to continue construction of his White House ballroom while it challenges a lower-court order that would have halted much of the project.

The justices, in a 5-4 ruling, granted the administration’s request to block an order stopping above-ground construction of the $400 million ballroom while a lawsuit brought by a historic preservation group proceeds.

The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last year after the administration demolished the White House East Wing and began building a 90,000-square-foot, or 8,360-square-meter, ballroom without seeking specific approval from Congress.

Trump has said the ballroom will be “the greatest of its kind ever built.”

Administration cites national security

In an Aug. 14 Supreme Court filing, Justice Department lawyers echoed Trump’s argument that the project is necessary for security, citing assassination attempts against the president and other recent threats.

“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,” the lawyers wrote.

The project combines the above-ground ballroom with a large underground complex. Trump has said it includes bomb shelters, medical facilities and protection against drones and missiles, describing the components as “all tied together as one big, expensive and very complex unit.”

The administration told the Supreme Court that the overall East Wing project, including both underground facilities and the ballroom, was 65% complete as of Aug. 14.

Trump has also referred to the structure as a “military center” and said an earlier appeals court decision left him, White House officials and visitors vulnerable to attack.

Lower courts had ordered much of work stopped

On Aug. 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 2-1 to uphold U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s order stopping above-ground construction.

“Each President is a temporary tenant, not the owner, of the White House,” the appeals court said, adding that a president could not fundamentally reshape the property without congressional approval.

Leon’s order did not permanently prohibit construction of the ballroom. It allowed underground work to continue, along with construction deemed “strictly necessary” for White House safety and security, while barring other above-ground work.

The D.C. Circuit also rejected the administration’s argument that national security considerations alone justified continuing construction, saying such claims “are not an automatic get-out-of-law-free card.”

Trump called the appellate ruling “horrendous” and politically motivated and urged the Supreme Court to overturn it.

Preservation group challenges Trump’s authority

The National Trust for Historic Preservation urged the Supreme Court to leave the lower-court restrictions in place while litigation continued.

“Each court to examine the question has agreed that (the Trump administration has) no unilateral legal authority — constitutional, statutory or otherwise — to build a massive ballroom on the site of the now-demolished East Wing,” the group’s lawyers wrote.

The organization argued that the administration should be required to obtain explicit congressional approval before proceeding.

Monday’s Supreme Court action does not resolve the underlying lawsuit over whether the administration has legal authority to build the ballroom. It allows construction to continue while that dispute moves through the courts.

The ballroom is part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape parts of Washington, including plans for a 250-foot, or 76-meter, arch and changes to the Kennedy Center.

The demolished East Wing housed the first lady’s offices and the White House movie theater. It was originally built in 1902 during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and significantly expanded in 1942 under Franklin Roosevelt.

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority and, with some exceptions, has frequently ruled in Trump’s favor during his second term as he has sought to expand presidential authority in domestic and foreign policy.

(Source: Reuters)