Politics · Supreme Court reviewSupreme Court Asked to Let $400M White House Ballroom Keep BuildingAired August 14, 2026 at 9:36 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00On August 14th, [music] the Trump0:01administration asked the US Supreme0:03Court to allow construction to continue0:05on a $400 White House Ballroom while it0:08appeals [music] a lower court order that0:09halted the project. The project is a0:1190,000 square foot Ballroom planned for0:13the [music] site of the East Wing,0:15already 10 months into construction and0:16described as 65% complete with steel and0:20structure [music] more than half built.0:21The request follows a 2-1 ruling by a0:23panel of the US Court [music] of Appeals0:25for the District of Columbia Circuit0:27that halted the work siding with0:29historic [music] preservationists and0:30finding the president lacks authority to0:32build without congressional approval.0:34At the heart of the case are two [music]0:36directly opposed claims about who0:38controls changes to the executive0:39mansion and who [music] can challenge0:41them. The challenger is the National0:43Trust for Historic Preservation. The0:45administration argues the group lacks0:46standing to bring the suit while0:48asserting sole presidential authority to0:50renovate. With [music] construction0:51already 65% complete, a pause would0:54freeze a major project mid-build forcing0:56a choice [music] between halting work0:58now or risking construction that a final1:00ruling could later invalidate. Whether1:02the court grants the two-week stay and1:03how it ultimately decides the questions1:05of presidential authority versus1:07congressional approval and preservation1:09group standing will determine if1:10building proceeds or stops.1:12Like and follow for more stories that1:14matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗