The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump to continue construction of his planned White House ballroom, delivering a major legal victory to the administration and opponents of the project.
The conservative-dominated court voted 5-4 on Monday to lift a lower-court order that had halted construction. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissenting.
Roberts had earlier issued a temporary order allowing construction to continue while the full court considered the matter.
The project has generated controversy in Washington, with critics arguing that Trump acted unlawfully by ordering the demolition of the entire White House East Wing without congressional approval.
The Supreme Court’s decision means construction can proceed while a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation continues in lower courts, a process that could take months or even years.
In its ruling, the court indicated that the government was likely to ultimately prevail in the lawsuit because the National Trust probably lacked legal standing to bring the case.
The organisation’s lawsuit is based on the claim of one of its members, Washington resident Alison Hoagland, who argued that seeing the completed ballroom would harm her “aesthetic, cultural, and historical interests” because of its size.
“This Court has not found standing in circumstances like these before. To the contrary, we have repeatedly held that mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify as a concrete and particularized injury,” the five justices wrote.
“Perhaps nearly any government action or project offends someone’s sensibilities,” they added.
However, the majority clarified that it was not making a final determination on whether the ballroom project itself was lawful. The ruling only allows construction to continue while the case is litigated in the lower courts.
The dissenting justices argued that the project was “likely unlawful,” saying “Congress has not passed any law resembling ‘express authority’” allowing the administration to undertake the project despite a legal requirement for such authority.
They also maintained that Hoagland’s claims were sufficient to establish legal standing.
The wider project includes a military bunker in addition to the ballroom. A district court and later an appeals court had previously stopped work on the ballroom while permitting construction of the military facility to continue.
Trump has defended the ballroom as necessary for hosting galas and state dinners, while also highlighting the national security importance of the bunker.
Source: AFP
