President Trump scored a victory at the Supreme Court on Monday as the justices ruled that construction of his planned White House ballroom may continue, rejecting an effort to halt the massive project.
In a 5-4 decision, the court turned aside a challenge brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which had sought to stop work on the ballroom, a project expected to cost at least $400 million.
The court’s unsigned majority opinion concluded that the National Trust likely lacks the legal standing necessary to pursue its challenge in federal court.
The ruling allows construction on the ballroom to proceed after work on the project had already been underway at the White House.
The justices, however, did not decide the broader question at the heart of the dispute: whether President Trump has the legal authority to undertake the construction project without first obtaining approval from Congress. The National Trust had argued that the absence of congressional authorization made the project unlawful and warranted stopping construction.
“Today, we do not pass upon the legality of the government’s East Wing project. We conclude only that, based on the submissions before us, the government is likely to prevail in showing that the Trust lacks … standing to challenge the project in federal court,” the court said.
Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the court’s other conservatives and joined the three liberal justices in dissent, going further than the majority by asserting that the ongoing construction is likely illegal.
“Construction of the ballroom has proceeded apace for the better part of a year. That construction is likely unlawful,” Roberts wrote.
{Matzav.com}
