First Lawsuits Filed Against President Donald Trump’s National Emergency Order

At least two lawsuits have been filed in response to President Donald Trump on Friday declaring a national emergency to secure funding for a wall along the southern border with Mexico.

The filings are expected to be part of a flurry of legal challenges to the constitutionality of Trump’s decision. The national emergency and other measures will free up $8 billion – far more than the $5.7 billion he initially demanded – to free up funding for 234 miles of bollard wall, the White House said.

But within hours after Trump signed off on declaring an emergency, the liberal watchdog group Public Citizen filed a federal lawsuit late Friday in the District of Columbia.

The suit also includes three Texas landowners who are located along the southern border, who were told their property would be seized for a border wall if money was allocated to the project this year. The lawsuit argues that Trump exceeded his powers by declaring an emergency and was a clear violation of the separation of powers.

Another federal lawsuit was filed in D.C. by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a prominent government watchdog group, but the litigation targets the Justice Department and revolves around a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the emergency order.