Gov. Pat McCrory came to the only conclusion possible short of being willing to admit that he eagerly enacted a broadly discriminatory law in a 12-hour session: He decided to take on the federal government after the Justice Department determined that his law does, in fact, violate federal statute by discriminating against transgender individuals.
McCrory, not liking what the federal authorities have to say about his law, asked Monday that the federal courts make a determination about HB2. From McCrory’s filing:
“The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employees across the country, not just North Carolina. This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level,” said McCrory.
This story is still developing…
Monday, May 9, 2016 · 2:41:47 PM +00:00 · Kerry Eleveld
UPDATE: McCrory on Fox News Sunday before he announced his counteraction:
“I’m not going to publicly announce that something discriminates, which is agreeing with their letter, because we’re really talking about a letter in which they’re trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear definition of gender identity,” Mr. McCrory, a Republican who is seeking re-election this year, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It’s the federal government being a bully.”
Monday, May 9, 2016 · 2:48:37 PM +00:00 · Kerry Eleveld
UPDATE: From CNN: Gov. McCrory calls the federal government’s position “radical” …
The state's lawsuit calls the Justice Department's position a "radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act" and "a baseless and blatant overreach.” [...]
Beyond his support for the bill's content, McCrory's argument against the feds is twofold -- that the state of North Carolina hasn't been given enough time to respond and that the federal government is overstepping its authority.