Court: Trump administration's use of military funds for border wall unlawful

• The administration announced last month it had awarded some of the funds to a $1.3-billion contract in Arizona, per AP.

Between the lines: A Supreme Court ruling in July did not determine whether the administration’s transfer of Pentagon funds was legal; it lifted a 9th Circuit Court injunction that froze military fund transfers, per the Post. The ruling allowed the Pentagon to redirect $2.5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for border wall projects.

What they're saying: "The Executive Branch’s failure to show, in concrete terms, that the public interest favors a border wall is particularly significant given that Congress determined fencing to be a lower budgetary priority and the Department of Justice’s own data points to a contrary conclusion," the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals majority opinion issued Friday reads.

Where it stands: Private contractors have finished roughly 220 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, per the Post.

What's next: The administration is expected to appeal Friday's ruling to the Supreme Court.

Go deeper: Trump admin says it completed 100th mile of southern border wall