Trump asks Supreme Court to let White House ballroom construction continue during appeal

President Donald Trump's administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project while it appeals a lower court's order to halt the work. Trump's solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last week's decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The divided panel ruled that Trump must stop the White House ballroom's construction because Congress has not approved the project. The panel's majority said Trump doesn't have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the White House's East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall. The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump's administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel's decision takes effect on August 21. Sauer argued that "this case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction" and claimed the ballroom is "vitally required by national security." The lower court's 2-1 decision upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project, siding with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction. The majority wrote that "Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide." Judge Neomi Rao, appointed by Trump, disagreed with the decision, arguing the preservationist group lacked legal standing to sue. The Trump administration contends that the president has authority to renovate the White House and that the current construction site makes it harder to protect the building. The administration also argues the National Trust for Historic Preservation lacks standing to sue over the ballroom project. The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months and is reportedly roughly 65% finished.