Trump’s Speed on the White House Ballroom Threatens to Outpace the Courts
New York Times · LC · trust 62/100
In his breakneck construction of a grand ballroom and in many other initiatives, critics say, the president has tried to outrun judicial review.
Listen · 8:01 min Share full article 267 President Trump has proceeded with White House ballroom construction at a furious pace even as courts weigh its legality. Credit... Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times By Adam Liptak
Adam Liptak is the chief legal correspondent and host of The Docket . He reported from Washington.
In cases on immigration, spending, mass firings and restructuring agencies, the administration has barreled ahead in the face of slow-moving legal challenges. If Mr. Trump loses when those lawsuits are finally resolved, it may be too late as a practical matter to undo what he has achieved.
The challenge to Mr. Trump’s enormous White House ballroom project is just the latest example of a mismatch between a judicial system characterized by unhurried deliberation and a presidency built for speed.
“Trump is going to get his ballroom — even if courts conclude it’s illegal,” said Leah Litman, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
Over the past few months, three judges and four justices concluded that Mr. Trump likely violated a federal law by razing the East Wing and replacing it with a luxury building.
Five other justices did not dispute that conclusion, ruling instead that the challengers probably lacked a direct interest in the matter sufficient to give them standing to sue.
The litigation continues — but so does the construction. Mr. Trump said Tuesday that the project will be done by next year.
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