[CBSNEWS] Officials in North Carolina filed a lawsuit Monday against the Department of Justice over the feds' demand that the state not implement its controversial LGBT law or risk losing federal funds.
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The Justice Department had set a deadline of Monday for Gov. Pat McCrory to report whether he would refuse to enforce the last that took effect in March. McCrory's defiance could lead to a protracted legal battle.
McCrory's lawsuit, filed in federal court in North Carolina, asks a judge to block Justice Department action that could threaten billions of dollars in federal money flowing to the state.
"I do not agree with their interpretation of federal law. That is why this morning I have asked a federal court to clarify what the law actually is," McCrory said at a news conference.
He said he hopes other states will join North Carolina in court as it fights the Justice Department's position that the Civil Rights Act requires that transgender people be allowed to access facilities matching their gender identities.
"This is not a North Carolina issue. It is now a national issue," McCrory said.
The lawsuit called the law a "common sense privacy policy" and said the Justice Department's position was a "baseless and blatant overreach."
In his filing, McCrory cited the fact that he has directed state agencies to make a reasonable accommodation of a single occupancy restroom. The state also allows private companies to set their own policies for bathrooms, locker rooms and shower facilities.
"I'm taking this initiative to ensure that North Carolina continues to receive federal funding until the courts resolve this issue," McCrory said in an earlier blurb. |