A federal judge in Texas is temporarily blocking the Obama administration's directive to U.S. public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.
The decision comes after Texas and 12 other states challenged the Obama directive as unconstitutional during a hearing in Fort Worth last week.
It applies to schools nationwide, as many districts reopen this week after the summer vacation.
"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," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
"That cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we took action to protect states and school districts."
Schools were not explicitly told to comply or lose federal funds.
But the Obama administration also didn't rule out that possibility in court documents filed in July, saying recipients of federal education dollars "are clearly on notice" that antidiscrimination polices must be followed.
Texas alone gets roughly $10 billion in federal education funds.
