U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra granted the federal government’s motion for a preliminary injunction in the case, ordering Texas remove the 1,000-foot buoy array by September 15, finding the barrier was installed “without authorization of any kind, save the Governor’s directive.”
In his decision, Ezra ruled the floating barrier was installed in a navigable body of water and requires a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, and argued that Texas officials’ claim that the barrier is a self-defense mechanism in the face of “invasion” is “unconvincing.”