Supreme Court says border wall construction can continue in west Texas
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that border wall construction can proceed in west Texas, overturning a lower court's injunction. The decision allows the government to bypass certain environmental laws to expedite the project.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights the ongoing conflict between national security priorities and environmental conservation efforts on public lands.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to continue with its plans to construct hundreds of miles of border barrier and security infrastructure in west Texas, while a court hearing over the effort moves forward.
The federal government's plans have stirred bipartisan backlash for its inclusion of Big Bend National Park, a beloved stretch of public land known for its sweeping canyons and unspoiled desert landscape.
In a five-page decision issued Monday , the high court wrote that the federal judge who ruled on the order didn't have the authority to weigh in.
"The injunction thus impedes the Government from advancing its 'compelling interests' in border security and integrity," reads the unsigned decision. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter in the decision.
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