US court declares Trump's executive order unconstitutional
San Francisco, Aug 2: A US court of appeal in San Francisco on Wednesday declared "unconstitutional" an executive order of US President Donald Trump to deny federal funding of sanctuary cities including San Francisco earlier this year.
The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 decision that Trump had acted unconstitutionally to withhold funding from the "sanctuary cities" that refused to cooperate with federal immigration officials, Xinhua reported.
"Absent congressional authorization, the administration may not redistribute or withhold properly appropriated funds in order to effectuate its own policy goals," Chief Judge Sidney Thomas wrote in a majority opinion.
The United States Constitution exclusively grants the power of the purse to Congress, not the president, he said in the ruling.
The ruling came in lawsuits filed by two California counties, San Francisco and Santa Clara, which had openly voiced their refusal to grant information or cooperation to federal immigrations agents in cracking down on operations against illegal immigrants in California state that declared itself "a sanctuary state."
US District Judge William Orrick issued an injunction in November to block Trump's executive order to cut off funding to sanctuary cities. Both San Francisco and Santa Clara receive more than 1 billion U.S. dollars a year in federal funds.
Trump's administration has filed a lawsuit against California for protecting immigrants in the country illegally.
California passed a statewide sanctuary policy that took effect in 2018, and cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia have adopted them.
Sanctuary cities have claimed that having local police cooperate with federal immigration forces would scare away people in reporting crime to law-enforcing agencies.
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Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours
Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa was laid to rest with full state honours on Monday.
The 94-year-old former minister, who passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday, was cremated at the Kalleshwara Mill premises, following Veerashaiva-Lingayat traditions.
Earlier in the day, Shivashankarappa's mortal remains were brought to his native Davanagere, where they were kept at the high school grounds for the public, his followers, and well-wishers to pay their last respects.
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Expressing deep sorrow over his demise, the Karnataka government ordered that his last rites be performed with full state honours.
Both the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council also mourned his passing, adjourning their sessions for the day after paying tributes.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, several ministers, opposition leaders, legislators, and political figures paid their respects.
A number of seers from the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community also attended the last rites.
Shivashankarappa represented the Davanagere South Assembly constituency. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for some time before succumbing to age-related ailments.
The senior-most legislator in Karnataka, Shivashankarappa, was also one of the longest-serving lawmakers in the country, sources said.
He is survived by three sons, including S S Mallikarjun, the Karnataka Minister for Mines, Geology, and Horticulture, and four daughters. His daughter-in-law, Prabha Mallikarjun, is the Member of Parliament from Davanagere.
A six-time MLA, Shivashankarappa also served as a minister and an MP.
He was a prominent educationist, establishing several educational institutions, and was an industrialist.
Additionally, he served as the treasurer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for decades and was the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the influential Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.
