The US Supreme Court has cleared the way, at least for now, for construction to continue on President Donald Trump's 400 million dollar White House ballroom, handing the president a temporary legal victory.
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a one-sentence order temporarily allowing the work to proceed. The order gives the justices more time to reach a final decision on whether the project can ultimately move forward.
The intervention came after a federal appeals court had ruled that construction must stop unless the president first secures congressional approval for the build.
Despite the legal fight, much of the project is already complete. According to ABC News, about 65 percent of the ballroom has already been built.
Crews have been working nonstop for the past 10 months on the project, and the entire East Wing of the White House has already been demolished to make way for it.
The president welcomed the ruling, saying he was grateful for the order from the high court and that construction is moving forward ahead of schedule.
The order is not the last word in the case. The justices still have to decide whether the ballroom can proceed without congressional sign-off, leaving the long-term fate of the project, and the broader questions it raises about presidential authority, unresolved.