The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday that construction of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom can continue, lifting a lower court restriction that threatened to halt above-ground work on the massive project.
The closely divided ruling is a significant, though potentially temporary, victory for the Trump administration. The court did not decide whether the ballroom project itself is legal, instead focusing on whether the preservation group challenging the construction has standing to sue.
Five of the court’s conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — sided with the administration. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.
“This Court has not found standing in circumstances like these before,” the court said in its unsigned opinion. “To the contrary, we have repeatedly held that mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify.”
The decision allows work to continue while the broader legal fight plays out. According to court records, a 250-person crew is working on the ballroom 20 hours a day, seven days a week.
Trump had the White House East Wing demolished last fall to make way for the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation challenged the project, arguing that the president does not have the authority to undertake such a major alteration to the White House without congressional approval.
Lower courts sided with the organization, finding that additional approval from Congress was needed before construction could proceed.
“We are deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling today and respectfully disagree with the majority’s opinion on standing,” National Trust President and CEO Brent Leggs said Monday. “It is noteworthy that the majority did not weigh in on whether the ballroom project was in fact legal.”
Leggs said the group intends to continue pressing its underlying argument that presidents are temporary stewards of the White House and cannot unilaterally demolish and redesign portions of it without Congress.
Roberts, who had temporarily allowed construction to continue while the Supreme Court considered the dispute, sharply disagreed with the majority’s standing analysis.
“In failing to appreciate as much, the Court misconceives the plaintiff’s injury, allowing the Executive’s likely infringement of the Legislature’s power of the purse and authority to regulate federal property in the District of Columbia to continue,” Roberts wrote. “Today’s decision is no victory for the separation of powers.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined Roberts in dissent.
“The White House is not just any building,” Roberts wrote.
The Trump administration maintains that congressional approval is unnecessary because the ballroom is being built with private funds. Solicitor General D. John Sauer also argued that allowing the preservation group’s lawsuit to proceed could dramatically expand who is permitted to challenge changes to government property.
Sauer told the court such a ruling “would open the courthouse doors to any of the millions of people who visit government buildings, historic sites or parks and happen to think that they dislike something they see.”
The administration has increasingly emphasized national security concerns as another reason construction should not be interrupted. It has cited several recent security incidents and alleged assassination attempts involving Trump in arguing that stopping the project could jeopardize the president’s safety.
The Justice Department has also argued that construction has progressed too far for a halt to be practical. Government filings indicate the project is approximately 65% complete, with a concrete-and-steel structure extending five stories deep and reaching about 70 feet high.
Trump celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision Monday and said the project remains on schedule.
“When completed in the Summer of 2028, the magnificent Ballroom and Military Complex will be something that the entire Country is very proud of,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“The Project, despite the baseless lawsuit brought by the so-called National Trust for Historic Preservation of the United States, which is not in any way affiliated with the United States Government, is under budget and ahead of schedule,” he added.
The National Trust maintains that the president’s authority over the historic property is limited and that the administration could simply seek congressional authorization if it believes the ballroom is necessary.
“If Petitioners believe there is a pressing need for a ballroom, nothing prevents them from asking Congress for one—today, tomorrow, or any time in the future,” the organization argued in court filings.
