Trump officials seek Supreme Court OK for building ballroom

The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow construction of a White House ballroom to carry on amidst a lawsuit over the facility. The emergency appeal came a week after a federal appeals court ruled that the Trump administration must stop aboveground construction of the ballroom.

The government urged the Supreme Court to quickly pause the lower court’s decision and to consider permanently blocking it. The court could respond by Aug. 18, according to a public docket.

What reasons did the Trump administration give for the request? Officials argued that the Supreme Court should issue an emergency order because they believed their arguments were likely to succeed when the court heard the full case. They stressed that the ballroom’s security features were needed to give the President a secure event space.

In the emergency filing, the Trump administration also argued that work on the ballroom was about two-thirds completed and that major changes to it weren’t feasible. Stopping aboveground construction now would leave the structure vulnerable to weather and damage, and the unfinished project would be an eyesore for passersby, they said.

Why did the lower court block construction? The lower court previously said that the Trump administration couldn’t continue aboveground work without congressional approval because Congress exercises authority over the property. The court also ruled that the project was doing permanent harm to the historic and architectural features of the White House. The ballroom is replacing the White House’s East Wing, which the Trump administration demolished in October 2025 to make way for construction.

Dig deeper: Read my prior report for more details on the lower court’s decision.