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WASHINGTON — President Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow construction of his sprawling White House ballroom to continue while his administration appeals a lower court’s order to halt the work.
Trump’s solicitor general on Friday petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The filing brings the months-long legal battle to the Supreme Court for the first time since Trump tore down the East Wing last fall to start building the planned 90,000-square-foot, $400 million ballroom.
The divided Court of Appeals ruled last week that Trump must stop the White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved the project.
The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build the project without additional approval.
The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump’s Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug. 21.
“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.
He argued the renovations are “absolutely required and should not be enjoined” because any delay threatens President Trump’s safety after recent assassination plots against him.
The president was targeted at April’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner and faced a threat from Iran while departing the NATO summit in Turkey.
Sauer said the ballroom is “65% complete” and “moving quickly toward total completion.”
The lower court’s 2-1 decision sided with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.
Sauer said the ballroom is “65% complete” and “moving quickly toward total completion.”
Trump argues his ballroom is necessary – not just to host guests – but for security reasons. He repeatedly notes the rooftop will host “drone ports” and the building will have drone-proof defensive architecture and a new military bunker underground.
It will be paid for by private donations, according to the president.
In the immediate aftermath of the appeals court ruling, Trump called it “horrendous, politically motivated, and unlawful” in a Truth Social post.
His project on the White House grounds is not the only one facing legal challenges: so are his plans to renovate the Kennedy Center, his desire to build an arch by Arlington National Cemetery, and his work on the Reflecting Pool.
With Post Wires