In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today, Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation issued the following statement:

“We are deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling today and respectfully disagree with the majority’s opinion on standing. It is noteworthy that the majority did not weigh in on whether the ballroom project was in fact legal.

We are pleased with Chief Justice Robert's strong dissent, which reaffirmed our standing to bring this case, and reiterated what we have maintained from the start—that construction of the White House ballroom is unlawful.

In addition, this is not the final decision on the merits of our case and does not resolve our fundamental argument—that each President is a temporary steward of the People’s House and does not have the unilateral authority to demolish and redesign it without the approval of Congress.

We anticipate that the government will file an application for a writ of certiorari and look forward to reviewing it. We urge the Supreme Court to expeditiously consider the government’s certiorari petition, and we will continue to advocate with our partners on behalf of the American people, the democratic values of our nation, and the preservation of our country’s most historically significant places.”

Resources

• Opinion: Supreme Court of the United States, August 31, 2026 (PDF)
• See more resources related to the White House Construction Project