For now.

Flagman

August 21, 2026 · Ibid.

Night-time editorial cartoon at a floodlit White House construction gate: Chief Justice John Roberts, in judicial robe under a hi-vis vest and hard hat, waves a line of concrete mixers into the East Wing excavation with a SLOW paddle while Trump leans grinning from the lead cab; far behind the fence a small labelled Judge Leon holds a rain-soaked stop-work order nobody looks at.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order Friday letting Trump's $400m White House ballroom project continue while the Supreme Court weighs an emergency appeal. The order pauses injunctions from District Judge Richard Leon, who wrote that the president is "not the owner" of the White House but carved out an exception for work ensuring its safety and security. The administration told the court that 65 percent of the work is complete and that crews are working 20 hours a day, seven days a week; the National Trust for Historic Preservation accused the White House of trying to "outrun the courts."