Supreme Court on Friday issued a one‑sentence order staying the district court injunction, letting the Trump administration resume above‑ground work on the White House ballroom while the case proceeds. The stay is temporary as the Court continues to review the underlying legal challenges.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. signed the order, lifting a preliminary injunction that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Circuit had upheld earlier this month. The National Trust for Historic Preservation contended the demolition of the East Wing and construction of the ballroom breach the Administrative Procedure Act and the National Environmental Policy Act, requiring congressional approval and review by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts.
The stay clears the path for above‑ground work on the ballroom and the associated secure bunker, removing a legal obstacle that had halted the project. It preserves the administration’s timeline for the “military/ballroom complex,” which officials say is essential for national security, and keeps the construction on schedule pending further court action.
The National Trust argues that multiple courts have ruled the administration lacks unilateral authority to build the ballroom without explicit congressional consent, while the White House maintains that presidents have broad discretion over White House grounds and that any delay poses “intolerable risks.” Congressional Republicans have introduced, but not advanced, legislation to formally authorize the project, leaving the legal question unresolved.