Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students

At least five Republican state attorneys general are challenging a federal regulation that seeks to protect the rights of transgender students in the nation’s schools by banning blanket policies that bar transgender students from school bathrooms aligning with their gender, among other provisions.

The officials argue the new policies would hurt women and girls, trample free speech rights and create burdens for the states, which are among those with laws adopted in recent years that conflict with the new regulations.

“This is federal government overreach, but it’s of a degree and dimension like no other,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a news conference Monday.

One lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Monroe, Louisiana on Monday, the same day the Education Department regulations on how to enforce Title IX were officially finalized. The top state government lawyers for Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana want the court to delay the date they take effect, which is scheduled for Aug. 1. Texas filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Amarillo on Monday.