Trump has long argued the White House needs a larger events space, and more recently, that it was important for his security.
The Republican president emphasised the need for the ballroom after an alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April.
But the National Trust for Historic Preservation argued that construction was causing irreversible damage to a historical landmark.
Its position stemmed from a declaration made by preservationist Alison Hoagland, who lives in Washington DC and serves on the trust’s board of trustees.
Hoagland, who says she visits the neighbourhood once a month, asserted that she would “suffer both professional and personal injuries, including to my aesthetic, cultural and historical interests, if a ballroom of the proposed form and scale were constructed”.
In the dissent, Roberts said the injuries claimed by Hoagland were sufficient to allow the lawsuit to go ahead.
The ballroom project, along with the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn, are just part of the president’s wider effort to transform Washington’s cityscape.
His plans have included the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and a planned “Arc de Trump” larger than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
