North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory sued the federal government on Monday in a bid to protect the state's controversial law that requires transgender individuals to use public restrooms corresponding to biological sex.
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department said the state's Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, also called House Bill 2, violated civil rights laws and gave McCrory until Monday to respond to a letter threatening possible federal lawsuits,
The Associated Press reported.
The Justice Department also sent letters to leaders of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, and the state's public safety agency. The controversy could threaten billions of dollars in federal money that the state receives.
McCrory's lawsuit calls the Justice Department's position a "baseless and blatant overreach."
In its letter, the Justice Department said "access to sex-segregated restrooms and other workplace facilities consistent with gender identity is a term, condition or privilege of employment" protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
CNN reported.
But McCrory's lawsuit called that a "radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act," and said transgender status is not a protected class.
McCrory posted about the lawsuit on Twitter.
The governor also spoke about the lawsuit
during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," as well as a news conference Monday afternoon.
"We believe a court rather than a federal agency should tell our state, our nation and employers across the country what the law requires," McCrory said,
according to The Washington Post. "Right now, the Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set basic restroom policies."
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch was expected to announced a "law enforcement action related to North Carolina" Monday afternoon, the Post said.
Twitter users shared mixed reactions to the lawsuit.
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