Supreme Court Urged to Suspend Trump White House Ballroom Construction Amid Legal Battle
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A historic preservation group that sued to block construction of Donald Trump’s White House ballroom urged the US supreme court on Tuesday to suspend the project while it considers whether the work can continue.
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Associated PressThe National Trust for Historic Preservation filed its request less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation’s highest court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project during the appeals process.
PBS NewsHourPreservation group urges Supreme Court to suspend White House ballroom project The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed its request on Tuesday, less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation's highest court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project.
Washington ExaminerA preservationist group suing the Trump administration over the White House ballroom project urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to maintain an order that would halt construction on the project beginning on Friday.
USA TodayWASHINGTON – The Trump administration is trying to outrun the courts and make the president’s new ballroom impossible to stop, the National Trust for Historic Preservation told the Supreme Court in an effort to pause the project.
VoxLast fall, construction crews acting under Trump’s orders abruptly tore down the East Wing of the White House, the first step in Trump’s plan to replace the historic building with an enormous ballroom. A conservationist organization, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, soon sued to stop the construction on the ballroom in a case that is still ongoing. Lower courts have thus far agreed with this plaintiff that the ballroom is illegal.
The FederalistThe Trump Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to lift a lower court blockade on construction of the new White House ballroom.
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In its application to SCOTUS, the Justice Department characterized Leon’s injunction as “extraordinary and unlawful,” and argued that the project (“integrated military complex”) “is vitally required by national security.” The agency further contended that, if permitted to take effect, the Bush appointee’s injunction “would wrongfully install a single district judge as sole arbiter of what further construction is ‘strictly necessary’ to protect the safety of the President, his family, staff members, and visitors to the White House, including foreign dignitaries, and presidents and prime ministers of other countries.”
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Washington Examiner“If allowed to go into effect, the injunction would wrongfully install a single district judge as sole arbiter of what further construction is ‘strictly necessary’ to protect the safety of the President, his family, staff members, and visitors to the White House, including foreign dignitaries, and presidents and prime ministers of other countries,” Sauer said, citing the various assassination attempts against President Donald Trump.
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The administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department contends.
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The Guardian USThe administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the justice department contends.
Washington ExaminerU.S. District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush who issued the underlying order, wrote that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.” The administration has countered that the president has broad authority to renovate the White House and that leaving the project as an open construction site poses security concerns. It also argues that the National Trust lacks standing to sue.
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The petition comes after a divided appeals court panel upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project. The ruling was suspended to let the administration appeal.
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Associated PressThe petition comes after a divided appeals court panel upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project. The ruling was suspended to let the administration appeal.
USA TodayLower courts said construction on the above-ground portion of the project should be halted on Aug. 21 unless the administration gets approval from Congress.
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Solicitor general D John Sauer, who represents the administration, asked the supreme court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Friday.
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Associated PressChief Justice John Roberts had set a deadline of Tuesday for the trust to respond in writing to the administration’s petition. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who represents the administration, asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Friday.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Washington Examiner “In the end, the question is not ‘whether the proposed ballroom is desirable, or not, as a matter of policy.’ Nor is it even whether Petitioners may ultimately construct the ballroom. The question is simply who decides whether a ballroom can be built on federal property. Our constitutional system and federal law commits that choice to Congress,” the preservationist group’s brief reads.
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02 The Guardian US The administration “cannot identify any statute granting them ‘express authority’ to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a massive, privately funded ballroom, because none exists”, trust attorneys wrote.
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03 Associated Press The administration “cannot identify any statute granting them ‘express authority’ to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a massive, privately funded ballroom, because none exists,” trust attorneys wrote.
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04 New York Times Trump’s Ballroom Is Rising at Breakneck Speed: 20 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week Although the fate of the ballroom is tied up in court, the Trump administration argues that the project is too far along to be stopped now.
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05 USA Today The group urged the court not to let construction continue until the legal battle has been resolved.
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06 Vox The question of whether President Donald Trump may, without seeking permission from Congress, demolish much of the White House and replace it with his own projects is now before the Supreme Court.
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07 The Federalist In its emergency application for stay, the Trump administration requested the high court to temporarily pause a preliminary injunction by D.C. District Senior Judge Richard Leon. Issued by the Bush 43 appointee earlier this year, the order barred the White House from undertaking above-ground construction on the privately-funded project because he said it lacked congressional approval.
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08 Reuters US appeals court blocks Trump immigration enforcement near some houses of worship - reuters.com US appeals court blocks Trump immigration enforcement near some houses of worship reuters.com
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09 RealClearPolitics Chief Justice John Roberts faces a critical stay decision on the D.C. Circuit's order blocking Trump's White House East Wing construction project. Read Full Article ⟶
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