Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks White House's Transgender Bathroom Rules

A federal judge in Texas has temporarily blocked guidelines issued by the Obama administration that mandated public schools allow kids to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity after 13 states challenged the constitutionality of the rules.

U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor's decision, which was dated Sunday, Aug. 21, comes as children in Texas and across the country head back to school and as the debate over bathroom usage by transgender people has been in the national spotlight.

O'Connor, a Bush appointee who serves serves the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, said the "injunction should apply nationwide," but it won't impact states that have passed allowing bathroom usage based on gender identity.

May's directive by the administration said that transgender students are protected under Title IX, which says that schools receiving federal funds cannot discriminate on the basis of sex. Opponents say that the rules would allow predators to enter bathrooms unchecked.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a Patch request for comment on the ruling.

SEE ALSO: White House Letter To Schools On Transgender Students: What To Know

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been at the forefront of lawsuits against the administration, hailed O'Connor's decision.

"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," he said in a statement. "That cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we took action to protect states and school districts."

The ruling comes as several states have passed so-called "bathroom laws," some requiring that students use only the restroom consistent with their birth sex; other laws have opened bathroom usage for individuals based on their gender identity.

In the most high-profile case, North Carolina and the Department of Justice have filed lawsuits against each other over the state's law that restricts bathroom and locker room usage for transgender people.

Read O'Connor's full ruling below:

Image via Flinga, public domain