US Supreme Court allows White House ballroom construction to resume

The US Supreme Court has allowed construction to temporarily resume on President Donald Trump's planned $400 million ballroom at the White House.

In a narrow decision, a five-justice conservative majority paused a lower court injunction that had halted the project following a legal challenge by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a brief order granting the court additional time to evaluate the administration's emergency appeal. The majority noted that the federal government possesses strong legal prospects to ultimately defeat the preservation group's lawsuit.

However, the Supreme Court emphasized that its interim decision does not constitute a final ruling on the legal merits of the dispute. The temporary stay allows structural construction work to proceed while formal legal proceedings advance through the judiciary.

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