Supreme Court allows President Trump to continue construction on $400 million White House ballroom
Construction continues on a helipad and the White House Ballroom on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tierney L. Cross)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court is allowing President Trump to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom as lawsuits surrounding the project continue.
President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “I am pleased to report that the United States Supreme Court has just ruled in favor of the Ballroom/Military Complex being built without any further contingency, doubt, or threat.”
The 5-4 decision replaces a temporary order issued earlier this month, shortly before a court-ordered halt would have gone into effect.
That temporary order was signed by Chief Justice John Roberts, assigned to handle appeals from the capital. But he publicly disagreed with the latest decision, writing a strong dissent that referenced the nation’s history and said the project is likely unlawful because it hasn’t been approved by Congress.
“Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers.” Roberts wrote. The court’s three liberal-leaning justices agreed.
The majority, on the other hand, found the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely did not have the legal right to challenge the project.
Artist renderings relating to White House Ballroom construction, contained in a filing by the Trump administration to the U.S. Supreme Court, are photographed Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
The unsigned order pointed to government arguments that the ballroom would address national security concerns by shielding a planned underground military installation and offering a more secure structure for large events than the tents currently used.
By contrast, “the only harm the Trust claims is the offense one of its members will suffer from having to view a structure of the ‘scale,’ ‘height,’ and ‘massing’ the government intends,” it states.
The unsigned order did not directly decide the legality of the project, instead returning the case to lower courts. Documents, though, say that key portions of the project could be complete within months — a quick timeline compared with a typical legal case.
The Trump administration asked the justices to intervene after federal courts found the project must halt because it didn’t have congressional approval.
The lawsuit from the trust argued that Trump has no unilateral authority to undertake the work, which has included demolishing the East Wing. The group’s lawyers accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts” by accelerating construction.
In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.
The trust and the four dissenters, however, note that federal law prohibits the construction of any structure on federal parks or public grounds in D.C. “without express authority of Congress.”
The trust and its members, meanwhile, are “deeply committed to the preservation of historic American buildings,” bolstering their legal right to sue, Roberts wrote.
Trump called the lawsuit “baseless.”
“When completed in the Summer of 2028, the magnificent Ballroom and Military Complex will be something that the entire Country is very proud of,” he wrote.
The administration has said crews are working 20 hours a day on the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The framework is expected to be completed in November and much of the facade done by April, with full completion slated for August 2028, according to court documents.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom in April, though the order would allow work on bunkers and military installations below ground to continue.
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