The National Trust for Historic Preservation has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend construction of President Donald Trump's $400 million White House ballroom. This request follows a bid by the Trump administration to allow the project to continue while the court considers whether the work can proceed.
The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project, which involved the demolition of the East Wing, is part of plans to quickly remake Washington. The preservation group argues that the administration is attempting to make the project a fait accompli by building it so rapidly that the judiciary will be unable to stop it, suggesting that the administration is trying to outrun judicial review rather than obtain permission from Congress.
The legal battle comes after a divided appeals court panel upheld an order to pause aboveground construction by Friday. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon previously ruled that no statute gives the president the authority he claims to have regarding the project.
The administration maintains that the president has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House and argues that the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal standing to sue. Additionally, the Justice Department contends that the current state of the project, which is essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House.