{"id":2317378,"date":"2024-08-01T09:12:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T13:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invasion-defense-part-of-circuit-judge-debate-in-texas-marine-barrier-case-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-01T09:19:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T13:19:10","slug":"invasion-defense-part-of-circuit-judge-debate-in-texas-marine-barrier-case-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/invasion-defense-part-of-circuit-judge-debate-in-texas-marine-barrier-case-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasion defense part of circuit judge debate in Texas marine barrier case &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Finvasion-defense-part-of-circuit-judge-debate-in-texas-marine-barrier-case-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2317378&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a recent ruling \u2062by the \u2064Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Texas secured\u200c a significant \u2063victory\u200d in its legal battle with the Biden administration regarding border security. The case centers on Texas&#8217; use of marine barriers in the Rio Grande \u200dRiver, aimed at preventing illegal\u2062 crossings, which the federal government \u200cargued violated historical \u2064legislation, specifically the Rivers \u200cand Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899. The\u2064 court ruled in\u200b favor of Texas, sparking a debate among judges over jurisdiction and the\u2064 state&#8217;s right to self-defense, referencing the &#8220;Invasion Clause&#8221;\u200b of the U.S. \u200dConstitution. \u200c <\/p>\n<p>Circuit Judge\u200c James Ho, who \u200dagreed with the decision, emphasized that a state must have the ability to defend itself against invasion, noting that historical presidents have asserted this right. His opinion \u200chighlighted that \u2062states did not lose\u200b this sovereignty by joining the Union and \u200creferenced constitutional provisions permitting states to engage in war without\u200b congressional consent if under actual\u200d invasion. Conversely, Judge \u2062Andrew \u2062Oldham disagreed on the jurisdictional aspect, arguing the\u2062 ruling was valid regardless of the invasion argument since the \u2062Justice\u2062 Department had no substantial evidence to challenge Texas\u2019 actions.<\/p>\n<p>The dispute reflects broader discussions on state versus \u200bfederal authority over border\u2064 security, particularly following declarations of invasion by various Texas counties. Governor Greg \u200dAbbott&#8217;s actions, including the \u200dinvocation of Texas&#8217; self-defense rights, have received support from\u2063 many state leaders and other governors. The debate \u200ccontinues amid ongoing litigation \u200cregarding\u200d border security and immigration enforcement.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Invasion defense part of circuit judge debate in Texas marine barrier case<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1720285\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; In a Fifth U.S. Circuit Appellate Court ruling handing Texas a major win in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-files-response-in-concertina-border-barrier-lawsuit-with-supreme-court\/\" title=\"Texas responds to Supreme Court in border barrier lawsuit\">border security lawsuit<\/a>, two judges engaged in debate over whether the federal court has jurisdiction when Gov. Greg Abbott invoked the &ldquo;Invasion Clause&rdquo; of the U.S. Constitution as part of Texas&rsquo; defense to secure its border.<\/p>\n<p>At issue is the Biden administration suing Texas last July demanding it remove marine barriers it installed in the Rio Grande River to block illegal entry between port of entry in Texas. The Biden administration argues Texas violated the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899. On Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_3bd4abf6-4f3a-11ef-aacc-ef0d793d4d87.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;it did not.<\/p>\n<p>Circuit Judge James Ho agreed with the majority but wrote his own 27-page opinion specifically addressing the state sovereignty issue, arguing the court doesn&rsquo;t have jurisdiction to rule on it. His colleague, Judge Andrew Oldham, disagreed on the jurisdiction question and addressed Ho&rsquo;s views in his own opinion.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A sovereign isn&rsquo;t a sovereign if it can&rsquo;t defend itself against invasion,&rdquo; Ho wrote. &ldquo;Presidents throughout history have vigorously defended their right to protect the Nation. And the States did not forfeit the sovereign prerogative when they joined the Union. Indeed, the Constitution is even more explicit when it comes to the States. Presidents routinely insist that their power to repel invasion is implied by certain clauses.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Article I, section 10 is explicit that States have the right to &lsquo;engage in war&rsquo; if &lsquo;actually invaded&rsquo;, &lsquo;without the consent of Congress.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Texas counties&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_81d86a18-e246-11ee-a151-1fe36912b28a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">were the first<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;to characterize the border crisis as an invasion, after the leaders of Kinney, Goliad and Terrell counties declared an invasion on July 5, 2022, The Center Square&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_fbb93cde-fc5d-11ec-abb1-7b9e1dcc87db.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first reported<\/a><\/strong>. Since then, judges and commissioners from&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_65bcb7d8-dd93-11ee-8785-2f49fbef63fd.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">55 counties<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;have declared an invasion and expressed support for Texas declaring one, The Center Square exclusively reported.<\/p>\n<p>After dozens of judges called on Abbott to declare an invasion, in November 2022, he&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_00261edc-655d-11ed-a3d9-e3175adc6e4e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sent a letter<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;to President Joe Biden invoking his constitutional authority to defend Texas sovereignty and expanded troop movement to the border. Half of all U.S. governors&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_74e02ff0-c3bd-11ee-b829-03404294ed45.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">support<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;Abbott; their troops are on rotation supporting Texas border security efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Ho points to several examples,&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_6b4ace6a-bbf1-11ee-9d0e-23ab4819929e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">including terrorist<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_3eddc1bc-e30a-11ee-80f2-7773a3240175.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-dept-spox-largest-threat-to-u-s-national-security-are-u-s-cops\/\" title=\"State Dept Spox: \u2018Largest Threat to U.S. National Security are U.S. Cops\u2019\">national security threats<\/a><\/a><\/strong>, saying, &ldquo;there is an ample support, both among the States and at the national level, that this [Texas&rsquo; marine barrier case] is a good faith invocation of Article I, section 10.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But he maintains, &ldquo;federal courts lack jurisdiction to review Governor Abbott&rsquo;s invocation of Article I, section 10, and thus lack jurisdiction to hear this case.&rdquo; He also said, &ldquo;Courts have no business deciding which national security threats are sufficiently serious to warrant a military response, and which are not.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Oldham disagreed, saying the Fifth Circuit didn&rsquo;t need to address the invasion argument because &ldquo;the Justice Department was wrong; and that is enough to reverse the district court&rsquo;s preliminary injunction.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Oldham said the only reason to address the invasion clause in a political question doctrine ruling is &ldquo;if the Justice Department can prove a whole host of other facts and legal elements &ndash; none of which it can.&rdquo; The court&rsquo;s ruling &ldquo;will end this litigation on the merits,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That is a far better course than dodging the merits and allowing the Department of Justice to escape a judgment that will have a preclusive effect.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Oldham also rejected Ho&rsquo;s suggestion to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds. Doing so &ldquo;would have far reaching consequences&rdquo; he said, especially since Texas and the Biden administration are still embroiled in other border-related litigation.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to a May 24 letter to the court, Oldham said Abbott didn&rsquo;t urge them to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction but said the district court, which first ruled against Texas, &ldquo;lacks jurisdiction to second guess Texas&rsquo;s invocation of the Self-Defense Clause.&rdquo; Oldham also said Abbott &ldquo;urges us to reach the merits &hellip; the Court need not reach this constitutional issue because the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-judge-grants-gop-lawmaker-standing-to-sue-biden-administration-over-unrwa-funding-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Texas judge grants GOP lawmaker standing to sue Biden administration over UNRWA funding - Washington Examiner\">federal government&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s statutory claim does not preclude Texas&rsquo; self-defense measures.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ho cited numerous examples of the federal government recognizing &ldquo;the right to use military force to repel invasion,&rdquo; pointing to Texas governors who &ldquo;concluded they had no choice but to take matters into their own hands,&rdquo; including former Texas Gov. Sam Houston, which The Center Square&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_fc739a60-98f8-11ed-8276-eb63ad53564a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first reported on<\/a><\/strong>. Article I &ldquo;gives States the right to defend themselves when there is &lsquo;imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.&rsquo; There is no such temporal restriction if a State is &lsquo;actually invaded,&rdquo; Ho said.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the exchange, Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith told The Center Square, &ldquo;While the scope of the Governor&rsquo;s authority to act under the self-defense clause was not specifically addressed by the majority opinion, the Court clearly acknowledged that the Governor has the unquestionable authority as Commander in Chief to invoke the self-defense clause without being subject to judicial review.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Smith, who&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_7e5999da-d2da-11eb-96e9-bb2b27184489.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">led the charge<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;for Texas, as a sovereign state, to defend itself, said, &ldquo;I believe this same issue will be crucial in the litigation surrounding Texas&rsquo; new SB4 law and those future actions Governor Abbott pursues defending the sovereignty of Texas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Fifth Circuit is expected to soon issue a ruling on SB 4,&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/texas\/article_32b693d0-aaa9-11ee-ba86-0b350972ca76.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">another litigation battle<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;between Texas and the Biden administration and one on which both the Supreme Court and Fifth Circuit&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/issues\/border\/article_0f0553ac-e6d8-11ee-993a-b76ed419204a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have issued<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;rulings.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1720285\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1720285\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent ruling by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Texas scored a significant victory in its border security lawsuit, sparking a debate among two judges regarding the federal court&#8217;s jurisdiction. This discussion arose after Governor Greg Abbott cited the &#8220;Invasion Clause&#8221; of the U.S. Constitution as part of Texas&#8217; defense to secure its borders. The case stems from a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration last July, which demanded that Texas remove marine barriers it had placed in the Rio Grande River to prevent illegal crossings between designated entry points. The administration contends that Texas breached the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899; however, on Tuesday, the Fifth Circuit ruled otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Circuit Judge James Ho concurred with most aspects of the ruling but penned a separate 27-page opinion focusing on state sovereignty and asserting that federal courts lack jurisdiction over Abbott&#8217;s invocation of Article I, section 10. He emphasized that states retain their sovereign rights even after joining the Union and highlighted historical precedents where presidents have defended their authority to protect national interests.<\/p>\n<p>The notion of an invasion was first articulated by leaders from Kinney, Goliad, and Terrell counties in July 2022; since then, officials from 55 counties have echoed this sentiment and supported Abbott&#8217;s declaration. Following numerous calls for action from judges across Texas, Abbott invoked his constitutional powers in November 2022 to bolster troop presence at the border.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Ho pointed out various threats to national security as justification for Texas&#8217; actions but maintained that federal courts should not adjudicate matters concerning military responses to perceived invasions. In contrast, Judge Andrew Oldham argued against addressing invasion claims directly because he believed it was unnecessary given that he found fault with how the Justice Department handled its case against Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Oldham asserted that resolving this matter based on legal merits would be more beneficial than avoiding substantive issues while allowing potential judicial escape routes for federal authorities involved in ongoing border-related disputes with Texas.<\/p>\n<p>Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith remarked on how while specific details about gubernatorial authority under self-defense were not fully explored by Ho\u2019s majority opinion, it acknowledged Abbott\u2019s power as Commander-in-Chief without judicial oversight when invoking self-defense measures\u2014a point he believes will be pivotal in future legal battles surrounding new legislation like SB4 aimed at protecting state sovereignty against federal encroachment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2317379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/greg-abbott-texas.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36859,36858,36861,36860,32076],"class_list":["post-2317378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-circuit-judge","tag-invasion-defense","tag-legal-debate","tag-texas-marine-barrier","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/greg-abbott-texas.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2317378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2317378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2317379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2317378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2317378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2317378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}