by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to resume above-ground construction of President Donald Trump’s planned White House ballroom, lifting a lower-court order that had halted much of the project.
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which challenged the project, likely lacked legal standing to bring the lawsuit. The decision does not settle whether the ballroom itself is lawful, but it allows construction to proceed while the case continues through the courts.
The project replaces the former East Wing with a new complex that includes a large ballroom and an underground military installation. The administration has argued that continued construction matters not only for the ballroom but also for security around the underground facility.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson in dissent. Roberts argued that Congress has not expressly authorized construction of the ballroom and said the project is likely unlawful under federal statutes governing construction on federal property in Washington.
The majority, however, focused primarily on whether the National Trust had suffered the type of concrete injury necessary to establish standing in federal court.
The estimated $400 million project is being financed largely through private donations and is expected to provide the White House with a permanent venue for large state functions and official gatherings.
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