The Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration's emergency request to allow construction of a new White House ballroom to continue while legal challenges proceed.

The decision suspends a lower court order that would have halted most above-ground work on the $400 million project starting today. The administration had argued that the ballroom forms part of essential national security upgrades at the East Wing, including secure facilities for official events and operations.

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had ruled last week that Congress must approve the project. That ruling was set to take effect today absent higher court intervention. The Supreme Court's action preserves the status quo as the administration appeals the merits of the case.

President Trump has described the ballroom as a necessary enhancement to White House capabilities, rejecting claims that it requires separate congressional funding. The project replaces portions of the existing East Wing structure with a roughly 90,000-square-foot facility.

Opponents, including preservation groups, contend the construction bypasses required approvals and threatens historic elements of the White House grounds. The case centers on questions of executive authority over federal property and appropriations.

The stay allows underground security work and other preparations to advance without interruption. Full briefing on the underlying dispute is expected in the coming weeks.

This marks the latest development in a series of court rulings on the project, which has drawn scrutiny over its scale and funding mechanism since planning began earlier this year.