WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2020) The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that President Donald Trump unlawfully used $2.5 billion from the Defense Department to fund construction of a wall on the United States' border with Mexico, court documents revealed.
"The panel held that the Executive Branch lacked independent constitutional authority to authorize the transfer of funds," Chief Judge Sidney Thomas wrote in the ruling on Friday. "The panel noted that the Appropriations Clause of the US Constitution exclusively grants the power of the purse to Congress. The panel held that the transfer of funds violated the Appropriations Clause, and, therefore, was unlawful."
Thomas disagreed with the Justice Department's argument that the parties in the complaint could not challenge the transfers of Defense Department funds for border wall construction.
However, Judge Daniel Collins disagreed, writing in his opinion he believes the transfer of funds to build the border wall was lawful.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition.
