Trump Seeks SCOTUS Lifeline for WH Ballroom, Citing National Security
President Donald Trump is taking his fight for a new White House ballroom straight to the Supreme Court, arguing that lower court blocks threaten not only presidential safety but also the integrity of the Executive Branch itself.
In an emergency filing Friday, U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer urged the justices to lift restrictions on the $400 million project.
Lower courts have repeatedly insisted Trump must first secure congressional approval, but the administration contends the president already holds clear authority to protect and improve the people’s house.
The latest setback came last week from a D.C. appeals court, which ordered a halt to above-ground work on the former East Wing site while allowing the sophisticated underground bunker to proceed.
The panel paused its ruling for 14 days to permit an appeal. Sauer told the high court the partial green light is insufficient.
“The entire ballroom structure is designed to shield the military installation beneath it,” Sauer wrote.
“Halting the Project will stall this vital construction, making this President — the subject of recurrent assassination attempts — much less safe, and risking future Presidents’ safety,” Sauer added.
He stressed that past attempts on Trump’s life make the full project “absolutely required” for security.
Freezing construction now “would create a veritable obstacle course for the Secret Service, further imperiling safety.”
“The partially finished, 70-foot concrete-and-steel superstructure ‘cannot be largely left alone at this point’ without tremendous setbacks that will fundamentally compromise the integrity of everything currently built there,’ not to mention the ‘major safety risk’ from leaving it with inadequate’ stability or strength to handle wind and heavy loads on [its] own,” Sauer said.
The administration also leaned on statutory language granting the president power.
It argued Friday that “Congress gave the President the power to make “alteration[s]” and “improvement[s]” to the White House “as the President may determine.””
Sauer went further, declaring: “The President of the United States of America is not a tenant, but rather the sole, elected head of the Executive Branch, and Congress has authorized him to renovate, secure, and protect the White House and its grounds, as other Presidents have been allowed to do, without exception.”
He labeled the injunction “judicial overreach beyond the proper province of the federal courts.”
The lawsuit originated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In its 2-1 decision, the D.C. Circuit stated: “Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help.”
The majority added: “The National Trust has shown, compellingly, that Congress has not ceded unfettered authority to the Executive Branch to dramatically redesign, reshape, and reconstruct the White House – the People’s House – to fit a particular President’s desires.”
Yet the White House maintains the ballroom is no vanity project.
At roughly 89,000 square feet—larger than the Executive Mansion itself—it will feature design elements drawn directly from the Supreme Court building “and, in particular, its [magnificent Corinthian columns] — considered the highest column order in architecture.”
Those columns, crafted from the “highest-grade Indiana limestone” shipped to Italy, “are being carved by some of the greatest artists anywhere in the world,” Sauer said. “Delivery and installation will begin shortly.”
Trump has taken a hands-on role in every detail, from layouts to marble choices, and aims for completion by summer 2028.
Construction photos from early August already show multi-level concrete supports, rebar, and heavy equipment on site.
This marks the first of the president’s signature initiatives to reach the Supreme Court after a string of lower-court roadblocks on his efforts to restore and fortify Washington landmarks.
Supporters see the emergency request as a necessary check against activist judges who would leave the nation’s leader exposed and the White House unfinished.
The high court has yet to indicate when it will make a final decision.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
