WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump to continue building, at least for now, a new ballroom adjacent to the White House. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay blocking lower court rulings that would have suspended the aerial portion of the project. But the decision is only provisional, giving judges more time to consider next steps. The legal challenge has been brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the president had no authority to proceed with construction and objected to the ballroom’s massive new design on aesthetic grounds. In court documents, the administration has said that as of Aug. 14, construction was 65% complete on the $400 million, privately funded project, with a team of 250 people working 20 hours a day, seven days a week. The plan includes an extensive underground component, including secure locations and medical facilities that the administration says are vital to security. A federal judge had ruled in favor of the trust, saying that while underground construction could move forward, the ballroom itself could not be built while litigation continued. On Aug. 7, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld that decision, setting a deadline of Friday to halt construction unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
