SCOTUS allows President Trump to move forward with White House ballroom construction

WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - A victory for President Donald Trump when it comes to his new $400 million, privately-funded White House ballroom construction project.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday the president can move forward indefinitely on building the new White House ballroom.

Critics argued President Trump needed Congress' approval to build it.

The court, divided five-to-four, granted an emergency request filed by the Trump Administration.

The move blocked a lower court ruling that would have put the aboveground portion of the project on hold.

This followed an interim decision along similar lines issued by Chief Justice John Roberts in August.

The legal challenge was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued the president did not have unilateral authority to proceed with construction.

In the unsigned ruling, the court said the trust likely does not have legal standing to bring the lawsuit.

In court filings last month, the administration said the construction was 65% complete.