Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Wisconsin drops lawsuits challenging Trump-era border wall funding

Share
MADISON, Wis. -

Wisconsin is dropping out of two multistate lawsuits that challenged former President Donald Trump's decision to divert billions of dollars to fund a wall across the southern U.S. border.

Lawmakers in Madison granted the state Justice Department permission to exit the lawsuits on Tuesday.

Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, had joined other states in federal lawsuits in 2019 and 2020 challenging the use of $6.7 billion meant for National Guard units, military construction projects and police for wall construction. The move included shifting $8 million that had been intended to build a Wisconsin National Guard firing range.

The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the states, prompting the federal government to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the cases. President Joe Biden issued an executive order in 2021 halting wall construction using the money in question, rendering the challenges moot. Settlement negotiations ensued, and all the states except Wisconsin chose to drop their claims.

The federal government has since restored the money for the Wisconsin firing range, according to the Legislature's attorneys and the state Justice Department.

Justice Department officials asked the Legislature's Republican-controlled finance committee to allow them to drop their challenge. The committee voted unanimously without any debate to grant permission during a meeting Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, California, dismissed the other states from the lawsuits on July 17.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice made its formal request to exit the lawsuits on July 18, triggering Tuesday's meeting.

The department needed permission from legislators to get out of the case under a 2018 law that requires the agency to seek permission from the finance committee before settling lawsuits. Wisconsin Republicans passed the 2018 law to give themselves more oversight of Kaul's activities after he defeated then-Attorney General Brad Schimel, a Republican.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds

If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought — such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.

Infectious disease physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says whooping cough is most risky for unvaccinated infants, children and older people.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.