US Supreme Court allows White House ballroom construction to proceed

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump's new White House ballroom project to continue, rejecting a legal challenge from a preservation group. Trump has for some time argued that the White House needs a larger space for hosting events, and has more recently framed the addition as important for security.

The president reinforced this security argument after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation had opposed the project, arguing that the construction work was causing irreversible harm to a historic landmark. The organisation's case rested on a declaration from preservationist Alison Hoagland, a Washington DC resident who sits on the trust's board of trustees.

Hoagland, who said she visits the surrounding neighbourhood monthly, claimed she would suffer both professional and personal harm — including to her aesthetic, cultural and historical interests — if a ballroom of the proposed size and design were built.

Chief Justice John Roberts, dissenting from the ruling, argued that the harm described by Hoagland was sufficient grounds for the lawsuit to proceed.

The ballroom is one element of a broader effort by the president to reshape Washington's cityscape, alongside a helipad under construction on the South Lawn. Other elements of this wider plan include a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a proposed "Arc de Trump" monument intended to be larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.