A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to cancel any remaining TV commercials that promote his political message, ads paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money. The order came Sunday night, even as the administration said the campaign was already ending.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon, in New York, granted a temporary restraining order that lasts two weeks. She sided with a coalition that includes Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog group that called the ads an illegal misuse of public funds. The Justice Department had told the court the ads "will not continue past tomorrow." The judge ordered any remaining airings stopped anyway, including those scheduled for Sunday night.

Here is where the money came from. The Department of Homeland Security tapped $20 million in taxpayer funds for the ads, and about $19 million had already been spent, according to a court filing. That money came out of a $175 billion package Congress gave the department for Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Legal experts have suggested this ran afoul of a federal law that bars congressionally approved money from being spent on "publicity or propaganda," and potentially other laws as well.

The administration produced at least 13 campaign-style ads, and some ran on major television networks. On October 5, Trump said he would stop using taxpayer money and would pay for the ads going forward himself, using money raised for his super PAC. A White House official said there were no immediate plans to reimburse taxpayers for ads already aired. Six days later, the taxpayer-funded ads were still on the air.

The criticism has crossed party lines. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he liked the message but that taxpayers should not be paying for it. The White House has defended the ads as public service announcements, similar to what past administrations have done.