Texas To File Suit Against Obama Over Trans Bathroom Policy

Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, addresses the opening session of the 82nd Texas Legislature, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will announce Wednesday a lawsuit against the federal government over new guidelines on how schools should accommodate transgender students

Dallas television station WFAA first reported the news before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) confirmed the lawsuit in a tweet.

The attorney general will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

Paxton hinted at legal action when the Justice and Education departments sent a letter to schools directing them to let transgender students use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

“Once again, the Obama Administration has overstepped its constitutional bounds to meddle in the affairs of state and local government. Today’s announcement seeking to unilaterally redefine and expand federal law must be challenged,” Paxton said in a statement earlier in May. “If President Obama thinks he can bully Texas schools into allowing men to have open access to girls in bathrooms, he better prepare for yet another legal fight.”

And last week, Paxton, along with the attorneys general in Oklahoma and West Virginia, sent a letter to Obama administration officials asking whether the guidelines issued by the federal government will threaten federal education funding for states that ignore the guidance. The attorneys general asked for a response from the administration by Tuesday, May 24.

A spokeswoman for Paxton told TPM on Wednesday that the attorney general’s office has not yet received a response from the administration.

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