Judge Denies House Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Border Wall
The judge ruled the House lacked the legal authority to sue the sitting president over a spending priority.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
A district court judge has denied a House request that challenged President Donald Trump’s border wall, The Washington Post reports.
U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruled the House did not have proper legal authority to sue the president in the executive branch over spending decisions, including “allegedly overstepping his power by diverting billions intended for other purposes to pay for it,” the Post reports.
In a lengthy decision, McFadden wrote, “While the Constitution bestows upon Members of the House many powers, it does not grant them standing to hale the Executive Branch into court claiming a dilution of Congress’s legislative authority.” The ruling continued, “The Court therefore lacks jurisdiction to hear the House’s claims and will deny its motion.”
A key issue is whether it is illegal to divert funds between two branches of government, raising questions about constitutional separation of powers.