#SupremeCourt Allows Construction of #Trump ’s #BorderWall in #BigBend
The administration had asked the court to permit construction of a border wall in southwestern #Texas, including areas within a #NationalPark.
By Abbie VanSickle, Nov. 9, 2026
"The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to continue construction of a wall along the southern border in the Big Bend region of southwest Texas, including within a national park.
"The decision by the court, which was unsigned, allows the administration to resume its efforts to erect barriers and put up #surveillance equipment along a 500-mile stretch of the U.S. border with #Mexico as a lower court battle over the project’s legality continues. Justice #KetanjiBrownJackson noted a dissent.
"The court’s order pauses a decision from a federal judge in October that had blocked construction while she weighed a legal challenge brought by a church #preservation group, a #river guide and an #environmental organization.
"The justices noted that the challengers had claimed that construction in the Big Bend Sector would 'diminish their ability to use and enjoy the area.' But the majority found that #FederalLaw permitted the homeland security secretary to waive laws aimed at #EnvironmentalProtection and conservation, reflecting 'a clear preference for expeditious border construction over the very harms' raised by the challengers.
"The ruling is a win for President Trump and the first test of a major administration policy at the Supreme Court since last week’s midterm elections.
"Plans for construction in Big Bend National Park have drawn strong bipartisan opposition in Texas, uniting environmentalists and ranchers in the remote desert region.
"The park, described by the #NationalParkService as 'a geological marvel evidenced in sea #fossils and #dinosaur bones' and 'a place where you can still hear the whispers of pioneers, ranchers, miners and #NativeAmericans,' is named for a sweeping curve in the #RioGrande along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Critics have raised concerns that a border wall would alter the landscape, cutting off river access, threatening #crops and cattle, and interfering with the largest #DarkSky reserve on Earth."
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/09/us/politics/supreme-court-border-wall-trump.html
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/GHQZs
#USPol #NoBorderWall #DarkSkies #EndangeredSpecies #BorderWall #ProtectBigBend #SCOTUS #SCOTUSIsCompromised #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity