US: Supreme Court won't halt challenged border wall projects

Supreme Court declined by a 5-4 vote Friday to halt Trump administration's construction of portions of border wall with Mexico following a recent lower court ruling that administration improperly diverted money to project.

court's four liberal justices dissented, saying y would have prohibited construction while a court challenge continues, after a federal appeals court ruled in June that administration had illegally sidestepped Congress in transferring Defense Department funds.

“ Court’s decision to let construction continue neverless I fear, may operate, in effect, as a final judgment,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in a brief dissent for four liberals.

Friday's order means court is t likely even to consider substance of issue until after vember election, while work on wall continues.

Last summer, at an earlier st in case, justices also split 5-4 along ideological lines to allow administration to begin construction using $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds.

That allowed President Donald Trump to make progress on a major 2016 campaign promise heading into his race for a second term. administration wanted to use money to replace a total of 129 miles (208 kilometers) of rundown or outdated fencing in New Mexico, Arizona and California. As of mid-July, 92 miles (148 kilometers) have been completed according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Following latest appeals court ruling, wall's challengers returned to high court to ask that construction be halted.

Trump administration opposed request and said it would file paperwork in August asking Supreme Court to hear arguments in case.

case has its origins in 35-day partial government shutdown that started in December of 2018. Trump ended shutdown after Congress gave him approximately $1.4 billion in border wall funding, but that was far less than $5.7 billion he was seeking. Trump n declared a national emergency to take cash from or government accounts to use to construct sections of wall.

At time, money Trump identified included $2.5 billion in Defense Department money, $3.6 billion from military construction funds and $600 million from Treasury Department’s asset forfeiture fund.

case before Supreme Court involved just $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds. American Civil Liberties Union, which sued Trump administration on behalf of Sierra Club and Sourn Border Communities Coalition, has said it will seek to tear down sections of wall that were built with money.

“Every lower court to consider question has ruled President Trump’s border wall illegal, and Supreme Court’s temporary order does t decide case. We’ll be back before Supreme Court soon to put a stop to Trump’s xephobic border wall once and for all," Dror Ladin, staff attorney with ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement following court's order Friday.

Supreme Court is on break for summer but does act on certain pressing items. It will begin hearing cases again in October.

(Im Credit Pixabay)