U.S. Border Patrol Agents at Border Field State Park in Imperial Beach watch over personnel that are reinforcing the border wall with concertina wire. (Photo: Mani Albrecht/U.S. Border Patrol/Flickr)
Oct 11, 2019
A federal judge in Texas Friday afternoon ruled that President Donald Trump acted beyond his legal authority earlier this year when he declared a "national emergency" in order to redirect U.S. military funds in order to pay for sections of the infamous "wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to The Hill:
Judge David Briones of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas said in his opinion that the plan would be blocked after getting input from both sides in a lawsuit for the scope of an injunction.
The lawsuit was brought by El Paso County in Texas and a group called the Border Network for Human Rights.
Briones, who was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton, ruled that Trump overstepped his authority to divert more funds to border security than what was appropriated by Congress.
Kristy Parker, an attorney with the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy who represented the plaintiffs, said the Briones ruling "vindicates the Founders' wisdom and confirms that the president is not a king, and that he cannot override Congress's power to decide how to appropriate funds."
Democratic lawmakers opposed to Trump's border wall policy celebrated the ruling.
"Trump circumvented Congress in an authoritarian power grab and stole military money to pay for his ridiculous vanity wall," tweeted Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in response to the news. "I welcome this ruling and say once again: Not one penny will go to Trump's racist wall."
"We have not and will not fund your racist wall," declared Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
\u201cAND another judge ruled that @realDonaldTrump's unlawful emergency declaration to secure funds for his vanity project was just that--unlawful. \n\nWe have not and will not fund your racist wall. \n https://t.co/gyLeG5cbU5\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1570821284
Briones ruling in Texas came right on the heels of a separate ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in New York City which put a stay on the Trump administration's effort to prevent low-income people from emigrating to the United States. As Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) pointed out:
\u201c(2/2)\nand\n(3) his public charge rule can't go forward.\n\nIt is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration.\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1570823737
"It is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration," said Velazquez.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A federal judge in Texas Friday afternoon ruled that President Donald Trump acted beyond his legal authority earlier this year when he declared a "national emergency" in order to redirect U.S. military funds in order to pay for sections of the infamous "wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to The Hill:
Judge David Briones of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas said in his opinion that the plan would be blocked after getting input from both sides in a lawsuit for the scope of an injunction.
The lawsuit was brought by El Paso County in Texas and a group called the Border Network for Human Rights.
Briones, who was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton, ruled that Trump overstepped his authority to divert more funds to border security than what was appropriated by Congress.
Kristy Parker, an attorney with the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy who represented the plaintiffs, said the Briones ruling "vindicates the Founders' wisdom and confirms that the president is not a king, and that he cannot override Congress's power to decide how to appropriate funds."
Democratic lawmakers opposed to Trump's border wall policy celebrated the ruling.
"Trump circumvented Congress in an authoritarian power grab and stole military money to pay for his ridiculous vanity wall," tweeted Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in response to the news. "I welcome this ruling and say once again: Not one penny will go to Trump's racist wall."
"We have not and will not fund your racist wall," declared Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
\u201cAND another judge ruled that @realDonaldTrump's unlawful emergency declaration to secure funds for his vanity project was just that--unlawful. \n\nWe have not and will not fund your racist wall. \n https://t.co/gyLeG5cbU5\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1570821284
Briones ruling in Texas came right on the heels of a separate ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in New York City which put a stay on the Trump administration's effort to prevent low-income people from emigrating to the United States. As Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) pointed out:
\u201c(2/2)\nand\n(3) his public charge rule can't go forward.\n\nIt is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration.\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1570823737
"It is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration," said Velazquez.
A federal judge in Texas Friday afternoon ruled that President Donald Trump acted beyond his legal authority earlier this year when he declared a "national emergency" in order to redirect U.S. military funds in order to pay for sections of the infamous "wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to The Hill:
Judge David Briones of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas said in his opinion that the plan would be blocked after getting input from both sides in a lawsuit for the scope of an injunction.
The lawsuit was brought by El Paso County in Texas and a group called the Border Network for Human Rights.
Briones, who was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton, ruled that Trump overstepped his authority to divert more funds to border security than what was appropriated by Congress.
Kristy Parker, an attorney with the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy who represented the plaintiffs, said the Briones ruling "vindicates the Founders' wisdom and confirms that the president is not a king, and that he cannot override Congress's power to decide how to appropriate funds."
Democratic lawmakers opposed to Trump's border wall policy celebrated the ruling.
"Trump circumvented Congress in an authoritarian power grab and stole military money to pay for his ridiculous vanity wall," tweeted Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) in response to the news. "I welcome this ruling and say once again: Not one penny will go to Trump's racist wall."
"We have not and will not fund your racist wall," declared Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
\u201cAND another judge ruled that @realDonaldTrump's unlawful emergency declaration to secure funds for his vanity project was just that--unlawful. \n\nWe have not and will not fund your racist wall. \n https://t.co/gyLeG5cbU5\u201d— Rep. Mark Pocan (@Rep. Mark Pocan) 1570821284
Briones ruling in Texas came right on the heels of a separate ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in New York City which put a stay on the Trump administration's effort to prevent low-income people from emigrating to the United States. As Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) pointed out:
\u201c(2/2)\nand\n(3) his public charge rule can't go forward.\n\nIt is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration.\u201d— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@Rep. Nydia Velazquez) 1570823737
"It is not a good day in the legal world for this unlawful Administration," said Velazquez.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.