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Obama Intervenes On Texas Transgendered Bathroom Ruling

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Amber Randall Civil Rights Reporter
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The Obama administration plans to appeal a judge’s ruling that allowed schools to temporarily ignore the administration’s guidelines on transgenders in the bathroom.

The U.S. Department of Education, along with other federal agencies, filed a notice Thursday that they would be appealing the judge’s ruling in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, reports the Dallas News.

They asked the court to review a ruling that could temporarily block transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice.

U.S District Judge Reed O’Connor cleared up a temporary injunction he issued in August. He said that the temporary injunction he issued did not just apply to the 13 states who filed the lawsuit, but also to all states in the country.

While the case is being heard, public schools nationwide can decide whether or not to listen to the administration’s guidelines on bathrooms.

“A nationwide injunction is necessary because the alleged violation extends nationwide. Defendants are a group of agencies and administrators capable of enforcing their Guidelines nationwide, affecting numerous state and school district facilities across the country,” O’Connor wrote.

Texas, leading a pack of 12 other states, sought an injunction against the Obama administration’s transgender bathroom guidelines for public schools sent out in May.

The guidelines encouraged school districts nationwide to allow transgender students to use the bathroom and locker rooms that corresponded to their gender identity. To not allow them to use the bathroom of their choice, the letter claimed, “may create or contribute to a hostile environment in violation of Title IX.” (RELATED: Texas Leads 13 States In Lawsuit To Stop Obama Transgender Bathroom Rules)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that the guidelines are just recommendations and do not carry the force of a law.

The 5th Circuit Court is viewed as one of the most conservative federal appeals courts. The court, located in New Orleans, usually hears cases coming out of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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