SCOTUS to Environmentalists: Sorry Guys, But Trump is Allowed to Build a Border Wall

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The Supremes didn't determine that Trump has any sort of special right to build the wall, mind you; they simply declined to re-consider a lower court ruling that the administration could move forward with construction, assuming the project is authorized and funded by Congress.  Whether that's a sound assumption is a separate issue.  Chalk this upas a limited victory for the president and a blow to leftist environmentalists. 

As Ed Morrissey points out, the federal judge who authored the decision that SCOTUS has effectively affirmed is none other than Gonzalo Curiel, whom candidate Donald Trump shamefully bombarded with racially-tinged attacks during the 2016 campaign.  Judge Curiel stuck to the law, sided with Trump, and has been reinforced by the High Court.  Of course, there's no guarantee that the wall will be built, given the two parties'  disagreement on government funding priorities.  The president wants $5 billion in federal outlays for the wall, but leading Democrats say their starting point for negotiations is $1.6 billion, a fraction of Trump's request (though Chuck Schumer has discussed the possibility that the total number could rise to $3 billion).  As Republicans consider a short-term funding extension to avoid an ugly shutdown fight as Washington comes together to honor the life of President George H.W. Bush this week, Democrats are fighting amongst themselves 

Winning the first midterm election of a relatively unpopular president's first term is rather easy, historically speaking. Governing is much harder, as Republican leadership learned in 2011 and beyond.  We'll see where negotiations go -- whether this all plays out in the next few days, or two weeks from now.  Who doesn't love self-created cliffs and crises at Christmas?  Meanwhile, the rejection of wall opponents' appeal isn't the only victory conservatives scored at the Supreme Court in recent days
Source: Town Hall
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