Courting authoritarianism with a rapacious Trump.
Page B1From§Eachthe supper edition — 5 September 2026
LIKELY UNLAWFUL
Chief Justice rules Trump's ballroom 'likely unlawful,' then lets construction proceed anyway.
“You get that, right? A fake copy of the Chief Justice's signature almost sprang a guy from a courtroom in Indiana, but the real one — his own, in writing, calling it "likely unlawful" — couldn't stop a ballroom Congress didn't authorize. That's one signature getting outvoted by his own court and nearly obeyed by a stranger with a printer. And somebody's paying for that construction; it isn't the guest list.”
“Look — "likely unlawful" is a legal term of art, it doesn't mean unlawful, it means... it means he used the word "unlawful" three times in one paragraph. Okay, that one's on me. But the building's still standing, so obviously the process worked — wait, did I just say a building staying up proves it was legal? That does not sound like me.”
The receipts
· Split Supreme Court Allows Trump Ballroom Construction That Chief Justice Calls 'Likely Unlawful' from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Chief justice dissents on ballroom construction: 'No victory for separation of powers' from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· Man accused of using fake Chief Justice Roberts signature to get own criminal case dismissed from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.