A federal judge in Washington, D.C., grappled on Thursday with the U.S. House of Representatives' right to sue President Donald Trump in his plan to redirect billions in federal dollars to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee to the Washington, D.C., federal trial court, was hearing argument in the U.S. House's challenge to Trump's plan. It was the second time since last Friday that lawyers have tangled in court over the issue.

James Burnham, a lawyer for the Justice Department, argued the courts cannot wade into the dispute between the legislative and executive branches. He argued that Congress had “plenty of tools” in its displeasure of the wall rather than seeking a court's intervention.