The states involved in the lawsuit are Texas, Alabama, Arizona, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah and Georgia.
Advertisement
The suit seeks declaratory judgments; court orders precluding the defendants, who include U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, from enforcing any of the challenged federal standards; and “all other relief to which the plaintiffs may show themselves to be entitled, including attorneys’ fees and costs of courts”. It asks a judge to declare the directive unlawful. And it’s that aspect that led eleven states and state representatives to file a lawsuit against the federal government on Wednesday accusing it of overreach and – in the words of Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick – “blackmail”.
The directive from the U.S. Justice and Education Departments followed up by citing Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in public schools receiving public funding. The White House said at the time that that HB2, more commonly known as the ‘bathroom bill, ‘ violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Paxton says his office is willing to plea the case as far as presenting oral arguments before justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.
MS is to join Texas and ten other states in a lawsuit against President Obama over his administration’s strong stance defending transgender rights.
Paxton has not met with any transgender students or their parents, but said he is open to meeting with anyone about this lawsuit.
Arizona, joined by 10 other mostly “red” states, wants to overturn a Justice Department determination that transgender students should be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
‘Texas will sue to stop (President Barack) Obama’s transgender directive to schools, ‘ Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Twitter on Wednesday (24 May).
Transgender rights advocates criticized the suit as a malicious attack, saying there have never been public safety incidents or invasions of privacy related to protections for transgender people. Although non-binding, schools that fail to comply with the directive could potentially face lawsuits or reduced federal aid.
The letter directs the school authority to give access to the students according to their gender identity rather than the sex mentioned in their birth certificates. The law applies to schools and many other places.
Advertisement
“The fact that the federal government has yet again decided that it knows what is best for every one of our local communities is insulting and, quite frankly, intolerable”. Harrold Independent School District (Texas) and Heber-Overgaard Unified School District also participated in the lawsuit.
