WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday allowed the White House to continue construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million ballroom project for now, while the Supreme Court considers the Trump administration’s emergency request to intervene in lawsuits over the project. The temporary order came hours before lower court rulings would have forced a halt to construction of the above-ground project because Trump did not win congressional approval. It will remain in effect until the Supreme Court issues a more lasting decision, although the one-page document does not detail Roberts’ reasoning or indicate when another ruling will be handed down. Roberts signed the order because he oversees emergency appeals of cases filed in the capital. Trump thanked the high court and the chief justice during his remarks later Friday during a political appearance in South Carolina. “When they say proceed, I think it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing,” Trump said. The Ballroom case tests the limits of presidential power The case comes before the nation’s highest court as Trump, a Republican, wields unparalleled claims of presidential power and increasingly seeks to shape the capital in his own image. The administration has argued that the president has full authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national security concerns. When Trump first announced plans for a new ballroom, he didn’t emphasize national security. He said the project would be funded by private donations, including his own. The National Trust for Historic Preservation maintains that Trump does not have unilateral authority to carry out the work, which has included the demolition of the East Wing. Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by rushing construction. A spokesperson for the trust said Friday that Roberts’ order is not a final decision and that the group is awaiting further action. The full Supreme Court is likely to decide next whether construction can continue during the potentially lengthy lawsuit. Trump said his administration is grateful for Friday’s decision, writing in a social media post that the project is “under budget and ahead of schedule.” This is our AP Ground Game newsletter. You can sign up below and we’ll email you 3 times a week. Sign up for the Ground Game newsletter: your guide to the biggest stories in American politics, policy and elections. As the litigation unfolds, the ballroom is being built rapidly. The Trump administration says 65% of the work has already been completed on the planned 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom, where the East Wing stood before the president ordered its demolition. Crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week, on the project, where about $200 million in private donations has been spent or pledged, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department. The work has been developed in the context of the litigation that takes place in the courts. In April, a district court judge ordered a halt to above-ground construction of the planned ballroom. That ruling was briefly stayed and then upheld by an appeals court panel. US District Judge Richard Leon in Washington allowed work to continue only underground at bunkers and military installations. León was nominated by President George W. Bush, a Republican. León’s decision was confirmed by an appeals court panel, as two judges appointed by Democratic presidents determined that the project was a decision of Congress and “was not a matter of executive self-help.” A third judge, appointed by Trump, concluded that the conservation group challenging the project did not have legal standing to sue. Attorney General John Sauer took up that argument and called the decision to stop the work “extraordinary and illegal.” He said completion of the project was “vitally required by national security.” The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket, although justices have ruled against some of the president’s signature policies after a more thorough review. ___Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.—-Follow AP coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
