John Roberts Tears Into Trump’s Tacky Ballroom in Fiery Dissent

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty Donald Trump’s Supreme Court majority has allowed the president to continue building his $400 million White House ballroom—over the furious objections of Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices.

In a 5-4 ruling Monday, the Supreme Court lifted a lower-court order that had threatened to halt construction of the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, even though Roberts concluded that the construction was ‘likely unlawful.

Roberts sided with the court’s liberal justices and, in a fiery dissent, warned that the court’s five other conservative justices had effectively allowed the president to outrun the courts while construction raced ahead.

“Construction of the ballroom has proceeded apace for the better part of a year,” Roberts wrote.

“That construction is likely unlawful.” “The White House is an iconic American building whose symbolism and history are wrapped up in its architecture,” Roberts added.

He said it was therefore critical to “ensure that those responsible follow the rules in deciding what to tear down and what to build up at the People’s House.” The Court reached its divided decision via an expedited order, without full oral argument on the merits or a clear ruling on whether Trump has the legal authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval.

Instead, the five conservative justices concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation—the group challenging the project—was unlikely to have the legal standing required to stop construction.

They also found that forcing the administration to halt work now would cause irreparable harm.

This is a developing story...

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