Supreme Court chief justice allows work on White House ballroom to continue for now

The useful part

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is allowing the White House to continue construction on President Donald Trump's $400 million ballroom project for now. Lower courts had ordered a halt to the project, finding that it must have congressional approval. Roberts signed the order because he oversees appeals of Washington-based cases.

How it works

• The Trump administration has scored a series of victories on the high court's emergency docket, though the justices have ruled against some of the president's signature policies after fuller review.
• The case comes before the nation's highest court as Trump, a Republican, exercises unparalleled assertions of presidential power and increasingly seeks to mold the capital in his own image.
• The administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings as he sees fit and that the ballroom project must be completed due to national...

Details worth keeping

That ruling was set to take effect on Friday.