US Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump's White House ballroom project to proceed

The US Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed the Trump administration to continue construction of his proposed White House ballroom, pausing a lower court order that had halted much of the project.

In a one-page order, Chief Justice John Roberts said the preliminary injunction issued on April 16 by the US District Court for the District of Columbia would be "stayed pending further order" from either the chief justice or the full Supreme Court.

The stay does not resolve the underlying legal dispute, but allows construction to move forward for now.

Last year, President Donald Trump announced the construction of a 90,000-square-foot (8,361-square-meter) ballroom, which is estimated to cost $400 million.

A DC appeals court earlier ruled that the ballroom project requires congressional approval.

A week ago, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for construction to continue, accusing lower courts of overstepping their authority and arguing that the project is necessary for national security.