Obama DOJ Stands Up For Civil Rights By Suing NC For State Sponsored Discrimination

Attorney General Loretta Lynch took a stand for the civil rights of all Americans when she sued the state of North Carolina over their state sponsored bathroom law discrimination.

Clip of AG Lynch announcing the lawsuit:

At a press conference, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said:

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The bill was signed into law that same day. in so doing, the legislature and the governor paste North Carolina — placed North Carolina in prohibition against federal law based on sex and gender identity. They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgendered individuals who seek to engage in most private of functions in a place of safety and security, a right taken for granted by most of us. Last week, our civil rights division notified individuals in North Carolina that house bill number two violates federal civil rights laws.

We ask they certify by the end of the day they will not comply with or implement the restrictions on restroom access and an extension was requested by North Carolina and was under active consideration. Instead of replying to our offer or applying for certification, the state of North Carolina and its governor chose to respond by suing the Department of Justice. As a result of their decisions, we are now moving forward. Today, we are filing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state of North Carolina. Governor Patrick McCrory, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina. We are seeking a court order declaring the law discriminatory as well as a bar on it. I want to know we retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina as this case proceeds. This action is about a great deal more than bathrooms. This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the law we as citizens and a country haven’t acted to protect them. It is about the founding ideals that have led to this country, haltingly inexorably in the direction of fairness, inclusion, and equality for all Americans.

Standing up against discrimination has been a hallmark of the Obama Administration. Republicans in North Carolina picked the wrong fight at the wrong time in the nation’s history. North Carolina will not only lose the lawsuit, but Republicans in the state will likely play a role in costing their party an election in November.

It is impossible to understate what a stupid move HB 2 was. North Carolina may lose federal funding for essential services, and while the money may return someday, the stigma of discrimination that state Republicans have attached to the Tar Heel State won’t fade anytime soon.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association