Supreme Court clears way for Trump to keep building White House ballroom - BBC

The court granted the Trump administration's emergency request to keep building the above-ground portion of the structure. The decision was not unanimous among conservatives. Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the majority and joined the three liberal justices in dissent, writing that the construction is "likely unlawful" because Congress has not approved the project.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation had filed the legal challenge that produced those lower court rulings. Those rulings would have halted work on the above-ground section, and the Supreme Court's emergency order blocks them.

For people watching national politics, the Roberts dissent is the detail worth sitting with. He is a conservative appointee, and his agreement with the liberal bloc, paired with his explicit language about the project lacking congressional approval, signals the legal fight is far from finished. A 5-4 emergency order keeps the shovels moving for now, but it does not settle the underlying constitutional question about whether the executive branch can spend on a project of this scale without a vote from Congress.

The $400 million price tag makes it one of the most expensive single structures ever proposed for the White House grounds.