Judge rejects challenge to Trump’s border wall

WASHINGTON—A federal judge ruled Tuesday against an environmental challenge to the Trump administration’s proposed southern border wall, allowing construction plans to proceed. Several environmental groups and the state of California sued the Trump administration in September, claiming the proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border violated environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel handed down a 101-page ruling affirming that Congress and the executive branch share the responsibility to protect U.S. borders. The ruling allows the Trump administration to circumvent some environmental laws in order to build sections of the proposed wall. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, said he would continue to evaluate options to impede the project. “A medieval wall along the U.S.-Mexico border simply does not belong in the 21st century,” he said Tuesday. During his 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump complained Curiel could not issue a fair ruling in a different legal case due to his Mexican ancestry. On Tuesday, Trump praised Curiel’s decision. “Big legal win today,” the president tweeted. “Now this important project can move forward!”