The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to resume construction of a border wall in the Big Bend region of southwest Texas, including within Big Bend National Park. The unsigned decision pauses a federal judge’s October order that had blocked construction while a legal challenge was pending. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted a dissent.
The majority held that federal law grants the homeland security secretary broad authority to waive environmental and conservation laws to expedite border construction, citing a “clear preference” for swift barriers over ecological concerns. The ruling marks a major victory for President Trump and the first test of a key administration policy at the Supreme Court since the midterm elections. Hours before the decision, Senator John Cornyn of Texas—a Republican defeated in the primary by Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton—urged against “indiscriminate construction,” advocating for technology and staffing instead.
The ruling was condemned by Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, who called it a step toward “the destruction of the wildest place left in Texas.” The court cited the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which empowers the secretary to waive legal requirements and limits judicial review. A Customs and Border Protection official stated the pause cost nearly $500,000 daily. Despite bipartisan opposition from environmentalists and ranchers, the Department of Homeland Security may now proceed.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing