Obama to sue North Carolina for ‘state-sponsored discrimination’ (VIDEO)
The US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against North Carolina.
The Obama administration has revealed plans to sue North Carolina over its controversial anti-LGBT law.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed HB2 into law earlier this year.
The law effectively removed all local protections for LGBT people and banned trans people from using a gender-appropriate bathroom.
As she announced the US government’s plans, Attorney General Loretta Lynch deemed HB2 “state-sponsored discrimination”.
“What this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has suffered far more than its fair share,” she added.
“We see you, we stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you.”
Ms Lynch explained that the law puts the state in direct conflict with federal laws.
These laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity.
“State-sanctioned discrimination never works and never looks good in hindsight,” she added.
The justice department is seeking a court order declaring the law “impermissibly discriminatory”.
The move comes after the department last week gave the state five days to respond to a request to repeal HB2.
In response, Governor McCrory filed his own desperate lawsuit against the federal government yesterday.
In it, he named Ms Lynch, the head of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta and the Justice Department.
“We’re taking the Obama admin to court,” he wrote.
“They’re bypassing Congress, attempting to rewrite law & policies for the whole country, not just NC.
“Our lawsuit seeks to ensure that NC continues to receive federal funding until the courts clarify federal law & resolve this national issue.”
Watch Ms Lynch’s announcement below:
