on february 19, the aclu filed suit in the northern district of california on behalf of the sierra club, the southern border communities coalition, and other interested organizations and people. on may 24, 2019, u.s. district judge haywood s. gilliam, jr. issued a temporary injunction in the case blocking the trump administration's plan to divert funds not explicitly appropriated by congress. gilliam, an obama appointee, wrote that "congress's 'absolute' control over federal expenditures—even when that control may frustrate the desires of the executive branch regarding initiatives it views as important—is not a bug in our constitutional system. it is a feature of that system, and an essential one." in june 2019, this injunction was converted into a permanent injunction. in july 2019, the u.s. court of appeals for the ninth circuit upheld the injunction. on july 26, 2019, the supreme court issued a stay to gilliam's ruling, allowing wall construction to proceed while litigation continues.