School Bathroom Policy Blocked by Federal Judge

A federal judge in Texas has blocked the Obama administration's order to allow public school students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that fit with their self-identified gender identity.

The Sunday decision applies to thousands of school districts across the country starting today.

The Obama administration issued the directive in May. Last week, 12 states challenged it as unconstitutional during a hearing in Fort Worth. School districts that refused to comply with the order risked losing federal funding.  

It's not an explicit threat but in court documents filed in July, the Obama administration said that recipients of federal education funding "are clearly on notice" that federal anti-discrimination policies must be followed.

Texas receives roughly $10 billion a year in federal education dollars.

Texas filed the lawsuit in May along with Alabama, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Utah and Georgia.  The Republican governors of Maine, Mississippi and Kentucky also joined in.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, argued Obama's order needed to be blocked before the school year began so non compliant schools did not lose education dollars. 

"This president is attempting to rewrite the laws enacted by the elected representatives of the people and is threatening to take away federal funding from schools to force them to conform," Paxton said. "That cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we took action to protect states and school districts.