WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has turned to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to restart work on the White House’s $400 million ballroom project while it challenges a lower-court order blocking construction.
On Friday, Trump’s solicitor general asked the justices to put on hold a ruling issued last week by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
That divided appeals panel concluded that Trump must pause construction of the White House ballroom because Congress has not authorized the project.
In its majority opinion, the panel said Trump lacks the power to unilaterally construct a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom on the site of the White House’s East Wing, which he ordered demolished last fall.
The appeals court delayed enforcement of its own decision for two weeks, giving Trump’s Republican administration time to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court.
The solicitor general urged the high court to act on the request before the appeals panel’s ruling is set to take 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,” the solicitor general wrote.
The 2-1 ruling from the lower court was a victory for historic preservationists, who filed suit seeking to stop the ballroom project.
