After taking office in January, President Joe Biden has sought to halt funding for the border wall construction that was pushed by his predecessor. The Biden administration had argued that the Supreme Court did not need to weigh in on the border wall funding case because the project was closed down by the new administration.
But the Court's Monday ruling called for a reassessment of the case, given the new circumstances under which the project is being considered and with a different administration in the White House.
The Supreme Court returned the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit "with instructions to direct the District Court to vacate its judgments," the Supreme Court wrote in its Monday order.
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| The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the Biden administration in a case dealing with funding for former President Donald Trump's border wall. Above, construction at the wall with Mexico in Sasabe, Arizona, on January 12. MICAH GAREN/GETTY IMAGES |
"The District Court should consider what further proceedings are necessary and appropriate in light of the changed circumstances in this case," the Supreme Court added. The Court did not provide an explanation for its decision beyond mentioning the change in circumstances under which the case has been considered.
Key to the arguments surrounding the future of the border wall's construction is the funding sources Trump's administration directed to support it. Billions in military funding were allocated to the project during Trump's time in office, with the wall's 400th mile celebrated by the former president just days before he left the White House.
In his order pausing wall construction, which he issued the day of his inauguration, Biden mentioned questions that have been raised about the legality of the wall's funding. READ MORE...
