US Supreme Court allows temporary resumption of White House ballroom construction

The US Supreme Court has temporarily lifted a court-ordered freeze on the construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House, allowing work on the project to proceed for now. In a 5–4 decision, the court's conservative majority granted an emergency petition from the administration, pausing an injunction issued by a lower court.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued the order to allow justices additional time to examine the dispute with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. While the majority signaled that the administration has a high probability of having the preservation group's lawsuit dismissed, the justices specified that the procedural ruling does not determine the ultimate legality of the project. Consequently, foundational construction work may be substantially completed before the underlying litigation reaches a final resolution.

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