Construction of Trump's White House Ballroom Can Proceed Following Conservative-Leaning Supreme Court Ruling

US President Donald Trump's long-sought project to build a large ballroom in the White House East Wing has narrowly avoided a halt and will proceed.

On the 31st of last month, local time, the US Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 majority opinion to allow construction to continue while a lawsuit seeking to halt the project moves forward.

The court based its decision on the likelihood that the National Trust, which filed the lawsuit, lacks "standing."

The issue of standing is an argument the Trump administration has maintained since the lower courts, meaning five of the six conservative-leaning justices accepted this argument.

The decision comes after the Trump administration requested emergency review from the Supreme Court following lower court rulings to halt construction.

This ruling is not a judgment on the legality of the ballroom construction itself, which is the core of the merits lawsuit.

Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts dissented, joined by the three liberal justices.

Chief Justice Roberts previously issued a temporary order on the 21st allowing construction to continue while considering the Trump administration's appeal request.

In a dissenting opinion he authored himself that day, Chief Justice Roberts emphasized that the ballroom construction is "likely illegal" and that "the White House is not just an ordinary building."

Regarding the majority opinion issued by the conservative justices, Chief Justice Roberts pointed out that they "misunderstand the injury suffered by the plaintiff" and are "permitting the administration to continue an action [the ballroom construction] that likely violates Congress's power of the purse and its authority to regulate federal property within Washington, D.C."

While the Supreme Court's decision only allows construction to proceed while the merits lawsuit is ongoing, the Associated Press projected that given the typical pace of litigation, the ballroom construction project is now likely to proceed as originally planned.

Construction of the approximately 90,000-square-meter White House ballroom is currently about 65% complete.

According to documents submitted by the administration to the court, the framework will be completed in November of this year, a significant portion of the exterior walls by April of next year, and the entire project is slated for completion in August 2028.

The administration explained that construction workers are operating 20 hours a day to meet this schedule, which appears aimed at advancing construction to a point where it cannot be undone even if the judiciary ultimately rules the construction "illegal."

Regarding the Supreme Court's decision, President Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social, welcoming it as a decision that ensures "the ballroom and military-complex facility can be built without any further contingencies, doubts, or threats."

President Trump stated that underground bunkers and drone defense facilities will be installed in the ballroom building, using the description "ballroom and military-complex facility" rather than a mere party venue.

President Trump asserted, "This magnificent ballroom and military-complex facility will be something the entire United States can be very proud of," adding, "As great patriots and corporations are fully funding it, this is a gift."

He claimed, "It costs American taxpayers nothing."

Previously, Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the court of first instance, ruled that the ballroom construction could not be compared to small-scale modifications made by past presidents on the White House grounds and required congressional approval.

However, accepting President Trump's argument that the underground facilities of the ballroom are necessary for security reasons such as upgrading the White House military bunker, the court ordered only the above-ground construction to be halted.

Subsequently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the second instance court, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs on the 7th, stating, "Whether a large-scale ballroom should be built [in the White House] is a matter for Congress to decide, not for the executive branch to resolve on its own," prompting the Trump administration to immediately appeal.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.