The United States Supreme Court has issued a temporary order allowing President Donald Trump to continue the construction of his $400 million White House ballroom project for now, effectively pausing a judicial order that would otherwise halt much of the development. This decision follows a lengthy and contentious legal battle involving the Trump administration and the judicial system, which centers on the scope of presidential authority to renovate federal buildings. US Chief Justice John Roberts signed a temporary order on Friday, authorizing work to proceed while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration. Lower courts had previously ordered a halt to the project, concluding that it required congressional approval, a ruling set to take effect on Friday. Roberts’ role as the head of appeals for cases involving the Washington, D.C., area means this order applies to the White House project.
The case before the court is significant as it comes before the nation’s highest court, as Trump, a Republican, seeks to expand presidential power and reshape the White House in his own image. The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the court’s emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after fuller review. The court is currently skewed conservative, with six justices appointed by right-wing presidents, compared to three named by left-leaning leaders. Trump’s ambitions to construct a White House ballroom predate even his first term in office.
The Trump administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit. In October, he demolished the century-old East Wing of the White House to make room for the ballroom, with no advance notice to the public. While the administration has argued that the ballroom must be completed due to national security concerns, its initial plans did not emphasize safety. Instead, Trump had touted the need for additional space to hold state dinners and other events. The new ballroom structure is expected to measure roughly 8,400 square metres (90,000 square feet), dwarfing the White House’s main building. Trump also stated that the project would be funded by private donations, though critics have pointed out that the administration has sought taxpayer funds, as well. In December, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit to stop the ballroom’s construction, arguing that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work. Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of attempting to ‘outrun the courts’ by accelerating construction in recent months, despite injunctions to pause the work. The Trump administration argued that 65 percent of work has already been completed. Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week on the project, with US Department of Justice lawyers stating that about $200 million in private donations have been spent or committed to the project. A majority of a three-judge appeals court panel upheld Leon’s injunction. Two judges, both appointed by Trump, ruled that the National Trust for Historic Preservation had no legal right to sue and called the court’s injunction a ‘blatant abuse of discretion’. The appeals court ruling, however, was paused for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to petition the Supreme Court. The two-week window would have come to a close on Friday.
Source: Al Jazeera
