Court ruling puts border wall on hold

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked construction on sections of the wall at the U.S. southern border, which President Donald Trump planned to fund through a national emergency declaration. U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. of San Francisco ruled that because he thought a lawsuit against the effort would likely succeed, the government should postpone work on a 46-mile section of wall in New Mexico and a 5-mile span in Yuma, Arizona. Trump declared a national emergency at the border in February following a protracted funding battle with Congress and a government shutdown.

The White House says the emergency allows for the shifting of funds from the Treasury and Defense departments to build the wall, but numerous lawsuits argue the move violates the U.S. Constitution. The question for Gilliam was whether to allow construction while the lawsuits brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the state attorneys general were being considered. The cases still must be heard on their merits.