Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has allowed the Trump administration to proceed with building a new White House ballroom. Roberts issued a brief order pausing a lower court's preliminary injunction that had halted construction. The Trump administration appealed this injunction to the Supreme Court. A U.S. district judge had previously blocked the construction, stating the president lacked the authority to build it without congressional authorization. This ruling was later clarified to apply only to above-ground construction. An appeals court initially halted the injunction but later reinstated it. The appeals court majority believed Congress, not the executive branch, should decide on such a project and that the president couldn't unilaterally alter the White House. The government argued that halting the construction was detrimental to national security. They also cited the need for the ballroom for diplomatic functions and concerns about foreign intelligence gathering during construction delays. The National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that lifting the injunction would cause irreparable harm as the ballroom would be substantially completed. They contended the construction's irreversible nature made the harm substantial.