Federal Judge Rules That Congress Violated Constitution Passing $1.7 Trillion Spending Bill

A federal judge has delivered a major win to Texas in a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of unconstitutionally passing a $1.7 trillion spending bill.

Outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds her gavel as she arrives for the start of the 118th Congress in the House Chamber, in Washington, on Jan. 03, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In a landmark decision, a federal judge in Texas has ruled that a $1.7 trillion government funding bill was passed unconstitutionally in 2022 because lawmakers voted by proxy rather than in person because of a pandemic-era rule.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, issued a memorandum opinion and order on Feb. 27 finding that lawmakers violated the Constitution’s Quorum Clause when, in December 2022, they passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, the largest ever spending package in U.S. history.