This post is an update to my recent post on North Carolina’s controversial bathroom law (known as “HB2”), which can be found here. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory warning him that, in the Justice Department’s view, HB2 violates Titles VII and IX of the Civil Rights Act. The DOJ is threatening to take away millions in federal education funding from the state if it does not stand down. In 2014-2015, the University of North Carolina system got $1.4 billion in federal education funding. The letter gave North Carolina officials until today to respond “by confirming that the State will not comply with or implement HB2.”
This morning, North Carolina officials responded by filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department to defend HB2. In addition to objecting to the DOJ’s position that HB2 violates the Civil Rights Act, Gov. McCrory also objected to the federal government’s short deadline to respond. This lawsuit sets up a showdown between North Carolina and the federal government, and every state will be watching to see how it all shakes out.
We will continue to update this blog with the latest developments.