DOJ: 2 states’ transgender restrictions unconstitutional

Ty AlbrightJune 17, 2021

Abortion Restrictions Arkansas — FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks to reporters in Little Rock, Ark. Abortion rights supporters on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, filed a lawsuit challenging Arkansas' near-total ban on the procedure that's part of an effort by conservatives to force the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Roe v. Wade decision. Hutchinson signed Arkansas' ban into effect despite concerns about its constitutionality and its lack of rape and incest exceptions. (AP Photo/Andrew Demillo, File)

(AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging bans involving transgender people that target athletes in West Virginia and children in Arkansas. The department on Thursday slammed those bans as violations of federal law. The department filed statements of interest in lawsuits seeking to overturn new laws in the two states. In West Virginia, a lawsuit filed on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl challenges a ban on transgender athletes from competing in female sports. Arkansas became the first state to ban gender-confirming treatments or surgery for transgender youth. A lawsuit was filed on behalf of four transgender youth and their families as well as two doctors.

Ty AlbrightJune 17, 2021