White House asks Supreme Court to allow ballroom construction during appeal

The Trump administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to permit the resumption of construction on the White House's $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court ruling that ordered the work stopped.

The solicitor general filed the request on Friday, asking the high court to suspend a decision from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. That panel, in a 2-1 ruling last week, determined that the president lacked the unilateral authority to build the 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished last fall.

The appeals court had temporarily stayed its own ruling for two weeks, giving the administration time to seek Supreme Court intervention. The solicitor general has now asked the justices to act before the panel's decision takes effect on August 21.

In the petition, the administration argued that the injunction was "extraordinary and unlawful," and that halting construction would disrupt a project described as an "integrated military complex" with a secure ballroom space, deemed vital to national security.

The case originated from a lawsuit filed by historic preservationists, who successfully argued that Congress had not approved the project. The lower court's majority agreed, blocking further work on the site.