Federal judges in Texas become latest to block Title IX rule aimed at protecting LGBTQ students

Two federal judges in Texas on Thursday blocked a recent Department of Education rule from taking effect, which included new anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students.

The new rule, which protects students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, was unveiled in April, and was expected to take effect in August. But it has faced lawsuits by several GOP-led states, including Texas and Florida.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, issued a preliminary injunction that stopped the enforcement of the new rule, claiming it would violate Title IX by infringing on protections meant to prevent discrimination against women in public and higher education. The rule would force public schools to stop separating bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on biological sex.

“Title IX protects women in spaces that were historically reserved to men,” Kacsmaryk wrote, according to Reuters. “In stark contrast, the Final Rule inserts men into the very Title IX spaces statutorily reserved to women.”

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in the Dallas suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, issued a separate ruling that blocked the rule from being enforced in 11 schools that are part of the Carroll Independent School District.

“The Final Rule undermines over fifty years of progress for women and girls made possible by Title IX,” O’Connor wrote. “Worse still, the Final Rule endangers not only women and girls, but all students.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, celebrated the rulings in a social media post Thursday night, claiming it was a "major win" for the state.

"Texas has successfully blocked Biden's Department of Education from destroying Title IX protections for women and forcing radical 'transgender' ideology on Texas schools," Paxton posted to X. "A federal judge has halted Biden's rule pending a final ruling. It's an honor to defend our State from Biden’s unlawful subversion of Title IX."