U.S. appeals court stays judge's ruling blocking military funds for border wall

FILE PHOTO: New bollard-style U.S.-Mexico border fencing is seen in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, U.S., as pictured from Ascension, Mexico August 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Wednesday put on hold a lower court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump's administration from using $3.6 billion (£2.7 billion) in military construction funds to build a wall on the country's border with Mexico.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay pending the Trump administration's appeal of a Dec. 10 decision by a federal judge that barred the funding transfer.