President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House ballroom are facing a tough argument at the Supreme Court. The D.C. Circuit upheld a lower court order blocking above-ground construction, citing the need for Congressional approval. Trump has vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court, pointing to a dissenting opinion by Judge Neomi Rao, who argued that the plaintiffs, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, lack legal standing in the case.

Standing Issue

The National Trust built its case around Alison Hoagland, a member who lives near the White House and regularly visits President’s Park. Hoagland argued that the proposed ballroom’s size and design would diminish her enjoyment of the area. However, Judge Rao argued that the National Trust did not establish the kind of injury necessary to invoke the courts’ authority to block the project.

Former Justice Department attorney Abhishek Kambli agreed with Rao’s reasoning, stating that the National Trust could face a difficult hurdle on standing at the Supreme Court. Kambli noted that while Congress created the National Trust, the group still must show that its lawsuit is relevant to its interests.

Supreme Court Review

The Supreme Court may resolve the case without deciding whether the administration had the legal authority to build the ballroom in the first place. Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, expects Trump to prevail on appeal, citing the standing issue.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.