The case was put in front of Roberts, who oversees emergency appeals filed in the D.C. Circuit.
That led to the administrative stay—a short-term order that freezes a lower court decision or deadline in order to buy time for a bench to review an emergency request. An administrative stay does not reflect a case’s merits or legality; it acts as an interim measure for a future ruling from Roberts or the Court.
In this case, it paused the preliminary injunction originally handed down by Leon. Therefore, the stop-work order was put aside for the time being, allowing construction to continue.
No court has issued a final ruling on the project’s legality. But that determination might come down to whether the renovation is seen as two distinct projects—aboveground and below—or as a singular build.
Is Trump building a ballroom or a military complex?
Trump’s 90,000-square-foot construction project comprises a luxury ballroom—which is meant to host 650 seated guests—with an underground military complex beneath it, featuring “protective missile resistant steel columns, beams, drone proof roofing materials, and bullet, ballistic, and blast proof glass,” according to one court document.
