10 States Including Texas in Lawsuit Suing Obama Administration Over Transgender Students’ Rights

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Filed Suit Today

Eleven states are now part of a federal lawsuit filed against the Obama administration in opposition to guidance on ensuring transgender students are not discriminated against in public schools. The lawsuit, originated by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Watch Paxton’s announcement live here.

At issue: the Obama administration guidance that says transgender boys must be allowed to use the same facilities as non-transgender boys, and transgender girls must be allowed to use the same facilities as non-transgender girls. 

In addition to Texas, Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah and Georgia, are plaintifffs in the suit. Also included are the Arizona Department of Education, Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage, and one Texas school district and one Arizona school district, according to The Washington Post.

UPDATE: Ten actual states in total. Maine is not a party to the lawsuit, although Maine’s governor is:

The lawsuit states the guidance issued jointly by the Dept. of Justice and Dept. of Education “has no basis in law” and could cause “seismic changes in the operations of the nation’s school districts,” the Post reports.

As NCRM reported earlier today, saying the Obama transgender guidance “puts our children at risk,” Paxton told a far right wing website last week Texas will “fight back in every way we can” if the state loses federal funding over its policies against transgender students

“We consider this an extremely risky policy,” Paxton told LifeSiteNews. “It’s unconstitutional and it’s outside of the authority of the president to do this from his position,” a claim others dispute. 

 

UPDATE I: 3:03 PM EDT –
Via Buzzfeed’s Dominic Holden:

“Defendants have conspired to turn workplaces and educational settings acrossthe country into laboratories for a massive social experiment, flouting the democratic process, and running roughshod over commonsense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights,” the lawsuit states. “Defendants’ rewriting of Title VII and Title IX is wholly incompatible with Congressional text.” 

UPDATE II: 3:10 PM EDT –
Watch live Paxton’s announcement. 

UPDATE III: 3:12 PM EDT –

UPDATE IV: 3:13 PM EDT –
Paxton refused to state if he believes transgender children exist. 

He also refused to answer yes or no if he’s ever heard of a problem.

“The cost of defending the Constitution is always worth it,” Paxton says. He said he does not have a cost estimate of the lawsuit.

Paxton thinks the case will get to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

 

 

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.