The National Trust for Historic Preservation asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the Trump administration’s ballroom construction while a legal challenge to the project plays out in court.
The filing is in response to an application from the Trump administration last week that asked the court to lift a lower-court ruling that would halt work Friday.
“Each court to examine the question has agreed that [the administration has] no unilateral legal authority — constitutional, statutory, or otherwise — to build a massive ballroom on the site of the now-demolished East Wing,” the filing says. “And each court has told [the administration] in no uncertain terms that they must stop their illegal construction unless and until they receive express approval from Congress.”