Ken Paxton’s Win: Women’s Rights and State Sovereignty in Focus

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secures a decisive victory against Biden-Harris policies, marking a significant stand for women’s rights and state sovereignty.

At a Glance

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won a legal victory against the Biden Administration’s Department of Education (DOE) regarding Title IX guidance on gender identity.
The DOE’s guidance would have required Texas schools to allow biological males to use women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-specific spaces.
Schools that did not comply with the DOE’s guidance risked losing federal education funding.
A federal court vacated the DOE’s guidance nationwide and issued a permanent injunction against its enforcement in Texas.
The court order stated that the DOE failed to follow proper procedures and that the guidance was inconsistent with the text and context of Title IX.

Paxton’s Legal Battle

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has successfully challenged the Biden Administration’s directive, which sought to enforce Title IX guidance on gender identity in schools. This guidance proposed that Texas schools should allow biological males to access women’s restrooms and locker rooms. Schools that failed to comply faced the severe consequence of losing federal education funds.

A federal court vacated this guidance, issuing a permanent injunction against its enforcement in Texas. The court ruled that the Department of Education failed to follow proper procedures and determined that the guidance misinterpreted Title IX. This decision marks a monumental victory for Paxton and has significant implications nationwide.

🚨MAJOR TITLE IX VICTORY: This is a major win for protecting Texas and its students from any future attempt by the federal government to impose its unlawful interpretation of Title IX that puts women and girls at risk. The Biden Administration has waged war on women’s rights by… https://t.co/ssmRTVyK1k

— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) August 14, 2024

Broader Implications and State Sovereignty

This victory is only part of a larger effort by Paxton to protect state sovereignty against what he views as federal overreach. Most notably, Paxton has asserted that the new rule violates federal law, the Constitution, and the original intent of Title IX, endangering women and girls.

“Joe Biden’s unlawful effort to weaponize Title IX for his extremist agenda has been stopped in its tracks,” stated Attorney General Paxton. “Threatening to withhold education funding by forcing states to accept ‘transgender’ policies that put women in danger was plainly illegal. Texas has prevailed on behalf of the entire Nation.”

Other conservative-led states have joined Texas in the fight, with 26 states suing the federal government over changes to Title IX. This collective opposition highlights a broader pushback against federal directives that many states argue are detached from the original legislative context and intent.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Files for Stay and Injunction to Stop Biden Administration's Assault on Women's Rights and Title IX: https://t.co/zgLL8zNk4d

— Texas Attorney General (@TXAG) May 14, 2024

Continued Legal Actions

Paxton’s success against Biden-Harris gender policies is just one of many legal challenges he has mounted. Recently, Paxton filed a lawsuit against a federal rule requiring schools to accommodate transgender individuals in female spaces such as restrooms and locker rooms. He argues that this rule also violates Title IX. Moreover, Paxton has taken on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), arguing that their guidance redefines “sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Texas will not allow Joe Biden to rewrite Title IX at whim, destroying legal protections for women in furtherance of his radical obsession with gender ideology,” Paxton affirmed. “This attempt to subvert federal law is plainly illegal, undemocratic, and divorced from reality. Texas will always take the lead to oppose Biden’s extremist, destructive policies that put women at risk.”

Paxton’s track record includes 75 lawsuits against the federal government since the Biden administration began. Noteworthy among these is his initiative to block new federal protections for LGBTQ+ employees, underscoring his commitment to the conservative values that many Texans share.

Amid this legal onslaught, Paxton has received support from many conservatives and legal scholars who see these actions as critical to maintaining state sovereignty and individual rights. His consistent legal challenges aim to ensure that federal overreach does not undermine the principles and values held by conservative states.