Trust lawyers accuse administration of trying to ‘outrun judicial review’
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the historic preservation group that sued to block construction of the project, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to suspend construction of President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom while justices consider whether the work can continue. The trust’s filing came less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation’s highest court to allow construction to proceed during the appeals process.
The competing requests place before the Supreme Court the question of whether the ballroom project can move forward while litigation over its legality continues. Lawyers for the trust argued in court papers that the administration is attempting to “outrun judicial review” by pressing ahead with construction.
In their filing, trust attorneys wrote that the administration “cannot identify any statute granting them ‘express authority’ to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a massive, privately funded ballroom, because none exists.” The trust argued the project lacks the legal authority required to proceed.
The trust’s filing maintained that the construction requires congressional authorization under federal law. Lawyers for the organization accused the administration of trying to “outrun judicial review” rather than obtain permission from Congress for the work, as required by that law.
The administration asked the Supreme Court the previous week to allow construction to continue while the case proceeds through the appeals process. The trust’s counter-request asks the court to halt construction while the underlying legal questions are resolved.
The project would replace a portion of the existing White House complex with a privately funded ballroom. The trust’s legal challenge is the latest stage in a series of court battles over the administration’s authority to build the project without congressional sign-off.
The Supreme Court’s decision on the competing requests will determine whether the ballroom project continues at its current pace while the litigation plays out.