A federal judge has blocked a directive from President Joe Biden’s administration that would have allowed transgender employees and students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity. It also allowed transgender athletes to participate in sports teams that corresponded to their chosen genders. The directive was blocked by Judge Charles Atchley Jr. of the Eastern District of Tennessee, a Trump appointee, after 20 Republican attorneys general sued last year, Reuters reported. Inclusive public toilet sign. Genderless and disabled toilet (Istock/ AndreyPopov) The plaintiffs argued that the federal directive conflicted with state laws and prevented states from enforcing their own laws banning transgender school bathroom use. BIDEN ADMIN HOLDS SCHOOL LUNCH MONEY ‘HOSTAGE’ TO ENFORCE INTERSEX POLICIES, PARENT ACTIVE SAYS Judge Atchley agreed, saying in his opinion that states “cannot continue to regulate under their own state laws while at the same time complying with the defendants’ instructions,” Reuters reported. The states also argued that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice, Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the defendants in the case — improperly justified the bathroom directive through the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 16: President Joe Biden exits Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on July 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images) In the case, Clayton County fired County Clerk Gerald Bostock for “inappropriate” conduct after participating in a gay recreational softball league. The Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that gender discrimination in the workplace in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should be extended to sexual orientation and gender identity. DEMO LAWMAKERS SLAM HOUSE DEMOS FOR GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOM REJECTION AS ‘THE ECONOMY IS IN THE TOILET’ The high court said in its decision that they are not deciding whether “sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms and dress codes violate Title VII.” In 2021, following the inauguration of President Biden and the appointment of new leadership, the Department of Education issued guidance to implement the 2020 case in schools. EIGHTH-GRADE GIRLS HOLD SCHOOL BOARD ON POLICY THAT WOULD ALLOW ‘BOYS TO PUT INTO GIRLS’ SHOES’ The division suggested that the court’s ruling apply to gender-segregated bathrooms — but Judge Atchley disagreed. WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 18: Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee Charles Atchley Jr. testifies during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill November 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The Supreme Court in Bostock “specifically declined to decide whether ‘sex-segregated bathrooms, locker rooms and dress codes violate Title VII,’” the judge said in his opinion, Reuters reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor, who was among the plaintiffs, called the decision “a significant victory for women’s sports and for the privacy and safety of girls and women in their school bathrooms and locker rooms.” according to the report.
