US Supreme Court clears way for Trump to keep building White House ballroom

For context, the US Supreme Court has ruled that construction of a $400m (£297m) ballroom at the White House can go ahead, in a victory for President Donald Trump.

Key points

• His intends include the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned "Arc de Trump" larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
• The Republican president emphasised the need for the ballroom after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April.
• "We are living in the Golden Age of America, and this Building will be one of the Greatest ever constructed in Washington, DC, " he remarked.
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation remarked it was disappointed in the court's decision, but welcomed the "strong dissent" by Roberts.
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the legal challenge, arguing that the president did not have unilateral authority to proceed with construction.

In a 5-4 ruling, the justices granted the Trump administration's emergency request, blocking lower court rulings that would have halted construction of an above-ground portion of the project.

But Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, sided with the three liberal justices to dissent, writing that "construction is likely unlawful" since Congress has not approved the project.

For context, the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed the legal challenge, arguing that the president did not have unilateral authority to proceed with construction.

Trump demolished the historic East Wing of the executive residence last autumn to commence building the ballroom. The White House has remarked the project will be "substantially" finished by November and fully completed by August 2028.

On Friday, the high court had temporarily allowed construction of the 90, 000 sq ft (8, 400 sq m) ballroom to move forward while the justices considered the lawsuit aiming to halt it entirely.

In Monday's unsigned order, the five justices who cleared the way for construction remarked lower courts had "likely exceeded" their authority in blocking the ballroom.

While the majority did not decide on the legality of the East Wing project, they remarked the preservation group "lacks standing" to sue the administration.

They ruled that the Trump administration had established it was probable to succeed in arguing that it would "suffer irreparable harm without a stay".

Chief Justice Roberts wrote in dissent: "Today's decision is no victory for the separation of powers."

Reacting to the ruling, Trump posted that he was "pleased" the "baseless" lawsuit had failed to halt construction.

Trump has long argued that the White House needs a larger events space, and more lately, that it was notable for his security.

Notably, the Republican president emphasised the need for the ballroom after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April.

But the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that construction was causing irreversible damage to a historical landmark.

Its position stemmed from a declaration created by preservationist Alison Hoagland. This person lives in Washington DC and serves on the trust's board of trustees.

Hoagland, who notes she visits the neighbourhood once a month, asserted that she would "suffer both professional and personal injuries, including to my aesthetic, cultural and historical interests, if a ballroom of the proposed form and scale were constructed".

In the dissent, Roberts remarked the injuries maintained by Hoagland were sufficient to allow the lawsuit to go ahead.

For context, the National Trust for Historic Preservation remarked it was disappointed in the court's decision, but welcomed the "strong dissent" by Roberts.

"Each President is a temporary steward of the People's House and does not have the unilateral authority to demolish and redesign it without the approval of Congress, " it remarked in an official note.

Notably, the ballroom project, along with the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn, are just part of the president's wider effort to transform Washington's cityscape.

For now, US Supreme Court clears way for Trump to keep building White House remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.