US Supreme Court allows temporary continuation of White House ballroom construction

The United States Supreme Court has permitted the temporary resumption of construction on a $400 million ballroom at the White House while legal disputes continue. In a 5–4 emergency ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily lifted a lower court injunction that had previously halted the project.

The emergency measure allows the administration to move forward with building work while the court reviews a federal lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The preservation group argues the project violates federal historic protection statutes. Although the conservative majority signaled the administration has a strong probability of ultimately prevailing in the suit, the justices clarified that the order does not represent a final legal judgment on the case.

Sources: Der Standard, Die Zeit, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau