Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Approval for White House Ballroom

The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to allow construction of a new White House ballroom to proceed, following a federal appeals court ruling that halted the project pending congressional approval. The emergency filing seeks to pause a lower court injunction that would stop aboveground work on the $400 million structure, which is being built on the site of the demolished East Wing.

The legal battle centers on whether President Donald Trump has the authority to undertake the project without authorization from Congress. The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit last year after the administration tore down the East Wing to begin construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom. A federal district court and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit both ruled in favor of the preservation group, finding that the president likely exceeded his authority.

In a 2-1 decision on August 7, the appeals court upheld a preliminary injunction blocking aboveground construction. The court stated that Congress, not the president, holds the responsibility for approving changes to the White House. The panel paused its own...