Published August 21, 2026
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s judicial order halting much of the development, allowing the $400 million White House Ballroom project to continue for now.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts signed an interim order Friday allowing the work to proceed while the court considers an emergency appeal from the Trump administration.
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A lower court had ordered a halt to the $400 million project, saying it needed approval from Congress. The ruling was scheduled to take effect on Friday. Roberts signed the order because he oversees the appeals of cases based in the Washington, D.C., area.
The case comes to the U.S. Supreme Court as Republican Trump seeks to expand presidential powers and shape the nation’s capital in his image.
The Trump administration has won a series of victories on the high court’s emergency docket, with the justices making well-considered decisions that go against some of the president’s signature policies.
The court is conservatively biased, with six justices appointed by right-wing presidents and three by left-wing leaders.
Shortly after the interim order was announced, President Trump praised Roberts’ decision on social media, saying he was “grateful” to the court. He also added that the ballroom will be “the best of its kind.”
“It’s what presidents have wanted for 150 years, and the military has wanted for the past 100 years. Their wishes will soon come true,” he wrote.
long-term goal
President Trump’s ambition to build a White House ballroom predates his first term.
Republican leaders reportedly approached former President Barack Obama’s administration about such construction as far back as 2010.
But since returning to office for a second term in 2025, Trump has taken a more aggressive approach in pursuing construction and renovation projects in Washington, D.C.
The administration has maintained that the president has full authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as needed.
In October, without prior notice to the public, he demolished the 100-year-old East Wing of the White House to make room for a ballroom.
The Trump administration has argued in recent court filings that national security concerns necessitated the completion of the banquet hall, but his original plan did not emphasize safety.
Rather, President Trump was insisting on the need for additional space to host state dinners and other events. The new ballroom structure is expected to be approximately 8,400 square meters (90,000 square feet), making it smaller than the main White House building.
President Trump also said the project would be funded by private donations, but critics say the administration is also seeking taxpayer funding.
long legal battle
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit in December seeking an injunction to stop construction of the ballroom, arguing that President Trump does not have the unilateral authority to contract for construction.
Lawyers for the preservation group accused the White House of trying to “get around the courts” by accelerating construction in recent months despite an injunction to stop construction.
The Trump administration claims 65% of the work has already been completed.
U.S. Justice Department attorneys said in court documents that crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week on the project. Approximately $200 million in private donations have also been spent or committed to the project, they added.
In April, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, appointed under Republican President George W. Bush, ordered a halt to above-ground construction of the ballroom.
He stressed that the president is not the “owner” of the White House and that such a dramatic change would require approval from Congress.
But Leon included a cutout that would allow necessary construction to proceed if the “safety and security of the White House” is ensured. Below the ballroom, construction is underway to construct a multi-story bunker that will house a hospital and military facilities.
Earlier this month, a majority of the three-judge appellate panel upheld Leon’s injunction.
“Whether or not large-scale banquet halls should be built is for Congress to decide, not for the government to help itself,” the two Democratic-appointed judges ruled.
A third Trump-appointed judge said the National Trust for Historic Preservation had no legal right to sue and called the court’s injunction a “blatant abuse of discretion.”
However, the appeals court’s decision was put on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the Supreme Court. The two-week period was supposed to end on Friday.
