President TrumpDonald John TrumpPapadopoulos on AG’s new powers: ‘Trump is now on the offense’ Pelosi uses Trump to her advantage Mike Pence delivers West Point commencement address MORE on Saturday slammed a Friday court ruling that blocked some construction of his border wall as “in favor of crime, drugs and human trafficking.”
Trump also said that the government would ask for an expedited appeal.
“Another activist Obama appointed judge has just ruled against us on a section of the Southern Wall that is already under construction,” he tweeted. “This is a ruling against Border Security and in favor of crime, drugs and human trafficking. We are asking for an expedited appeal!”
Federal Judge Haywood Gilliam, an Obama appointee, on Friday issued a preliminary injunction that would temporarily prevent the Trump administration from constructing additional border fencing in specific areas and using about $1 billion in reallocated Defense Department funds for border wall construction.
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Gilliam ruled that “irreparable harm” would result if the administration were allowed to proceed while a case challenging the legality of its actions was still pending.
The American Civil Liberties Union asked the judge for the injunction in February on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition.
The civil rights organization responded to the president’s tweet, writing on Twitter that they’re confident the courts would uphold the ruling in the event of an appeal.
“The Constitution is clear: The president has no power to spend taxpayer money without Congressional authorization,” the ACLU tweeted. “You can try to appeal, @realDonaldTrump. We’re confident the courts will continue to enforce this bedrock principle of our democracy — as they have for centuries.”
The president declared a national emergency earlier this year to reallocate Pentagon funds to the border wall after Congress refused to provide him with the amount of money he requested for the project.
–This report was updated on May 26 at 11:00 a.m.