WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow him to proceed with construction of a sprawling ballroom adjacent to the White House. The emergency request follows an Aug. 7 ruling by an appeals court in Washington that upheld a federal judge’s decision that would block work at the site while litigation proceeds. relatives, staff members and visitors to the White House, including foreign dignitaries and presidents and prime ministers of other countries,” Attorney General D. John Sauer said in the filing. The appeals court decision has not yet taken effect, meaning construction continues while the Supreme Court decides what to do next. The deadline for the justices to act is Aug. 21. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld an order ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. He had originally said that the White House could move forward with underground construction of medical and security facilities, but not the ballroom itself. Leon later ruled that all construction would have to stop, but the administration immediately appealed and his ruling has not taken effect. A key issue in the case is whether the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the underlying lawsuit, has legal standing to sue on the basis that its members were harmed by the construction. of a building that they oppose for aesthetic reasons.
